eHealth

The European Commission published a Communication on the digital transformation of health and care. The Communication aims to empower citizens and to build a healthier society. 

Three priorities

The Communication on the digital transformation of health and care identifies 3 priorities:

1. citizens' secure access to their health data, including across borders, enabling citizens to access their health data across the EU;
2. personalised medicine through shared European data infrastructure, allowing researchers and other professionals to pool resources (data, expertise, computing processing and storage capacities) across the EU;
3. citizen empowerment with digital tools for user feedback and person-centred care using digital tools to empower people to look after their health, stimulate prevention and enable feedback and interaction between users and healthcare providers.

Furthermore, the Communication provides a concrete set of actions on how each priority can be attained.

Your opinion counts 

A public consultation on the transformation of health and care was held in 2017. It gathered input on the scope of policy actions to be pursued in order to improve people’s health and care. This consultation received nearly 1,500 replies of which over 90% of respondents agreed that citizens should be able to manage their own data. More than 80% of the respondents agreed that sharing health data can be beneficial and around 60% of respondents said that they do not have access to digital health services. A detailed summary of the results of the consultation is available.

Why digital?

Transformation of health and care for a digital Europe will benefit people, health care systems and the economy. Digital technologies such as 5G mobile communication, artificial intelligence and supercomputing offer new opportunities to transform the way we receive and provide health and care services. They enable innovative approaches to independent living and integrated health and social care.

Health data and advanced data analytics can help accelerate scientific research, personalise medicine, and provide early diagnosis of diseases and more.

EU action plan for strengthening cybersecurity in the health sector

On 15 January 2024, the Commission launched a European action plan to strengthen the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers. Part of the Political Guidelines of the 2024-2029 Commission mandate, the action plan focuses on improving threat detection, preparedness, and crisis response in the healthcare sector. It aims to provide tailored guidance, tools, services, and training to hospitals and healthcare providers. Several specific actions will be rolled out progressively in 2025 and 2026, in collaboration with health providers, Member States, and the cybersecurity community. This initiative marks the first sector-specific initiative to deploy the full range of EU cybersecurity measures.