IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The information, which is stored in public registers and is accessible free of charge to all Latvians, has been made available online at the national eGovernment portal 'latvija.lv'.

The eHealth services include 'My state-funded health care services’, which uses the current health payments centre’s database and provides users with information on their own or their children's medical visits and diagnoses.

The eHealth services include:

• 'My state-funded health care services': The users can find information on their own or their children's medical visits, diagnoses and use the current Health Payment Centre's database.
• 'My data in the register of diabetic patients': This service - part of the Centre of Health Economics - provides information that is stored electronically in the register of patients with diabetes mellitus.
• 'My newborn baby data': This service - part of the Centre of Health Economics - provides information that is electronically stored in the register of neonatal information system.
• 'My family doctor': The users can get information on their own or their children's family doctor.

Wie die Online-Ausgabe der »Ärzte Zeitung« berichtet, hat die Firma c.a.r.u.s. auf der weltgrößten Medizinmesse »MEDICA« ein Hochverfügbarkeitssystem für Krankenhäuser vorgestellt. Das Komplettsystem wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit IBM und Oracle entwickelt und soll in Klinikinformationssystemen (KIS) eingesetzt werden. Durch Open-Source-Software sollen sich die Kosten deutlich reduzieren lassen.

Open-Source-Betriebssysteme halten Einzug nun auch in Klinikinformationssystemen (KIS). Nachdem Linux in Rathäusern wie in München eingesetzt wird und sich IBM die Verbreitung der Pinguine auf die Fahnen geschrieben hat, wird Linux nun auch im Kliniksektor salonfähig.

The institution in question is Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, a large paediatric hospital in Spain linked to a network of medical charity centres in the developing world. Its new name was created in a stream of consciousness: H for hospital, with Web 2.0, led to H2.0, then H2O - hence liquid hospital.

Jorge Juan Fernandez, e-health director, said the key to the "liquid hospital" concept was to integrate a wide range of technology channels into patient care including smartphones, the web, telemedicine, social networks, traditional phones, tablet computers, email and medical devices.

The strategy document [currently available in Lithuanian only] builds on a previous feasibility study of eHealth system development and implementation steps from 2005 till 2008, and aims to meet European Commission eHealth standards.

MedVAIS will be based on nation-wide, uniform ehealth standards for the storage of medical images. Healthcare organisations will be able to view medical images in the system, and thus avoid performing duplicate medical exams. Furthermore, patients’ medical images will be linked to their health records.

"The strategy of Estonia is fully in line with our vision, so it is very important for us to take their experience and use it. Estonia's success is based on a strong competence centre, strict legal regulations and progressive eHealth service development," said Asta Meškerevičiūtė, Director of the General Affairs Department at the Lithuanian Ministry of Health.

A pilot project is already underway at the Karawanella Hospital and another will begin on May 20 at the Mawanella Hospital, according to ICTA Project Manager of the ‘Multi Disease Surveillance System’ Shriyananda Ratnayake. “This project will keep electronic records of patients visiting hospitals anywhere in the country and make information available to doctors to aid them in their diagnosis, prescription and patient care,” he said.

Telecommunication and IT Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Daily Mirror that the project would involve computerizing every detail of a patient’s clinical history including consultation information and added that the details would be updated with each consultation of the patient. “This project is still in it primary level and we initiated a pilot project in the Karawanella Base Hospital. We plan to integrate this method in all the hospitals countrywide very soon,” the Minster said.

Ein wachsendes Informationsbedürfnis für gesundheitliche Themen und die mit dem demografischen Wandel einhergehende zunehmende Notwendigkeit von intelligenten Pflegedienstleistungen lassen gute Geschäfte im eHealth-Sektor erwarten. Dies hat die US-Marktforschungsagentur Parks Associates in einer Studie festgestellt. Fortschrittliche Medizintechniken und die elektronische Zustellung von medizinischen Dienstleistungen lassen neue Märkte für Dienstleister, Entwickler und Händler im Gesundheitssektor entstehen.

Technology now allows physicians to consult with patients or colleagues, view diagnostic images, even perform remote surgery using robots, but if a doctor licensed in New York—while attending a conference in Nevada—refills the prescription of a patient vacationing in Florida after a discussion on the telephone, they may be skating on some thin legal ice and could be putting their medical license at risk.

Justina Januševičienė, Director of the General Affairs Department at the Ministry of Health in Lithuania, said there is “no secret” that healthcare faces shrinking budgets both worldwide and within the European Union.

However, she believes that health professionals, experts and clinicians are tackling those challenges “all together”.

This order is the first document to summarise and merge the Lithuanian eHealth components and measures into a single system, so as to rationalise their implementation. The eHealth architecture model it forms will make it easier to focus on the development of a common eHealth system.

It is anticipated that the introduction of this eHealth system in Lithuania would generate annual savings of LTL 300 million (€87 million approx.) by 2013. In particular, the Ministry of Health expects that savings will be achieved with the implementation of measures to reduce duplicated information and procedures, such as: health information exchange platforms between institutions; patient pre-registration; development of ePrescriptions; pictures archiving and communication system; national and regional hospital information systems; and electronic health records (EHRs).

The Act on the reform of the health system that was adopted in December 2010 provides for the establishment of shared health records based on an electronic platform (eHealth Platform) and the creation of a national agency for shared information in the field of health (eHealth Agency). The first results presented at the event will serve as a basis for the services provided for in the aforementioned Act.

All actions thus far regarding the implementation of the so-called e-health project in Latvia were aimed at only absorbing the European Union funds, not achieving specific goals, reports LETA, according to the State Audit Office.

Thus, the State Audit Office is concerned that Latvia could lose the relevant EU funding.

If the audit finds that the project's goals have not been achieved and the EU funds have been spent for purposes other than intended, Latvia will have to provide EUR 11.3 million to cover the cost of the project.

Implementation of the e-health project in Latvia stumbled because of inefficient project management and insufficient supervision from the part of the Health Ministry, said Chief Auditor Elita Krumina at a joint meeting of Saeima committees on February 21st, informs LETA.

Krumina said that the sector had not defined its requirements during the implementation process, a number of different developers were involved, there was a rotation of employees. The implementation time was too long, and also there were problems because a decision was made to introduce the system at once instead of gradually as it happened in Estonia, for example.

eHealth solutions can actively improve the health and wellbeing of patients,

Latvia is no stranger to the concept of eHealth. As a part of its accession to the EU back in 2004, the country had to commit to developing a national strategy for eHealth as laid out in the European eHealth action plan.

Therefore, in 2005 the Latvian health ministry devised the 'eHealth in Latvia' national roadmap. The next few years were spent mapping the actual project and its architecture, along with the required technical specifications, including technical standards for eHealth.