International health IT benchmarking: learning from cross-country comparisons

Abstract

Objective: To pilot benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) availability and use to facilitate cross-country learning. Materials and Methods: A prior Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development–led effort involving 30 countries selected and defined functionality-based measures for availability and use of electronic health records, health information exchange, personal health records, and telehealth. In this pilot, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Working Group compiled results for 38 countries for a subset of measures with broad coverage using new and/or adapted country-specific or multinational surveys and other sources from 2012 to 2015. We also synthesized country learnings to inform future benchmarking. Results: While electronic records are widely used to store and manage patient information at the point of care—all but 2 pilot countries reported use by at least half of primary care physicians; many had rates above 75%—patient information exchange across organizations/settings is less common. Large variations in the availability and use of telehealth and personal health records also exist. Discussion: Pilot participation demonstrated interest in cross-national benchmarking. Using the most comparable measures available to date, it showed substantial diversity in health ICT availability and use in all domains. The project also identified methodological considerations (e.g., structural and health systems issues that can affect measurement) important for future comparisons. Conclusion: While health policies and priorities differ, many nations aim to increase access, quality, and/or efficiency of care through effective ICT use. By identifying variations and describing key contextual factors, benchmarking offers the potential to facilitate cross-national learning and accelerate the progress of individual countries.

Nordic eHealth benchmarking

“…Denmark and Finland participated in the paper as NeRN-authors, and the NeRN collaboration and results were promoted through the article. The article was published in August 2016 (10). A variety of next steps for the OECD were planned in the article, including:…”

Terveyskeskusten ja erikoissairaanhoidon sairaaloiden sähköisten potilaskertomusten markkinat olivat erittäin keskittyneet vuonna 2017 – onko syytä olla huolissaan?

“…Muutoksen ensisijainen tarkoitus on taata tiedon kulku sinne, missä potilas on kulloinkin hoidettavana. Sähköinen potilaskertomus on nykyisin yleisesti kliinisessä käytössä OECD-maissa [2].…”

Clinical Information Systems – Seen through the Ethics Lens

“…In the recent years, there has been an increase in the adoption of clinical information systems (CIS), in particular electronic health records/ electronic clinical records worldwide [1,2]. The adoption rates and the speed of diffusion may vary between countries [3][4][5] but the trend is towards more clinicians using these systems [6], sharing data across institutional boundaries [7], and patients having the opportunity to access their health data [8].…”