The electronic health record: A comparison of some European countries

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) used in some European countries such as Italy, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland), Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden (called “Northern Europe”). An EHR is a patient’s digital health data collection, to which physicians, nurses, health workers and the patients themselves add the patient’s data progressively. It improves health care by using information and communication technology that can be different in various countries. The aim of the European Union is to establish a health system network with standardized guidelines. The paper describes the situation in the various European countries in order to compare dissimilar scenarios. It starts from the institutional and regulatory framework and its historic evolution and then describes the present situation and attempts to foresee future trends. It also tries to define the progress of the EHR process, by analysing the common characteristics, its advantages and limitations. It shows how historic paths, elements, procedures and future trends can highlight the strengths and weakness of national systems, as well as the similarities and differences among legislative, political and entrepreneurial activities. In the future it may be interesting to include other countries or carry out a longitudinal research on them.