About the network
The network facilitates transnational cooperation on health. eHealth is a core facilitator for cooperation between the international partners. Although there are many reasons to cooperate transnationally in health care the use of eHealth in a transnational context is not very exploited yet.
Cooperation with international partners and regional forerunners opens the mind for innovative ways of eHealth deployment. The network partners learn from different health care systems, from the diversity of eHealth strategies with different medical, organisational, legal, cultural and technological approaches and experiences.
On this basis the opportunities for the network partners are
- To raise together awareness and acceptance of eHealth by citizens, medical professionals and further stakeholders in the regions
- To compare and benchmark the eHealth performance in the regions transnationally
- To bring together complementary expertise and knowledge for better quality of health care services for the citizens in the regions
- To jointly use medical, technological and educational resources and capacities in the regions for better cost-efficiency
- To improve the availability and accessibility of health care services in the regions
- To foster mutual access to regional health care markets
The network members use these opportunities within transnational projects. They develop new project ideas, search for partners inside and outside the network and apply for public funding. The network partners share their experiences and concrete working results on a web-based platform. Important topics to be addressed regarding transnational cooperation on health are listed below. All these issues need to address the diversity of languages e.g. for communication among professionals, with patients or for making health data internationally understandable.
- Health solutions for the moving citizens
- The user interface of the clinical platform
- Clinical rounds, meetings, and conferences over distance
- Learning, education and research on eHealth
- A seamless European communication network for Health
- Interoperability issues
- Rare cases and highly specialised care
The network has its origin in the transnational project with the same name “eHealth for Regions”. The project ran from June 2004 until May 2007 and was part-financed by the European Union within the frame of the Baltic Sea Region Interreg III B-programme.
On the basis of the results and the built network of persons and organisations, the Political Strategic Board of the project is proposed to continue the built network after the end of the funding project period. The legal basis of the network is a network agreement signed by the Political Strategic Board in May 2007 which defines the network structure and tasks.
Find more information about the eHealth for Regions strategic and management structures below:
