Press Release: Survey takes pulse of e-Health in Europe and prescribes wider ICT use among doctors

The European Commission published a pan-European survey on electronic services in healthcare (eHealth) on 25 April, 2008, that shows 87% of European doctors (General Practitioners) use a computer, 48% with a broadband connection. European doctors increasingly store and send patients' data such as lab reports electronically. In using such eHealth applications, doctors and medical services have already improved healthcare in Europe through, for example, more efficient administration and shorter waiting times for patients. The report also highlighted where doctors could make better use of ICT to offer services such as telemonitoring, electronic prescriptions and cross border medical services.