Telemedicine advances across Europe

Austria, France, Germany – Telemedicine, utilising digital technology for remote healthcare, helps address Europe’s aging population and skilled labor shortages. Three examples show how.

Austria Sets New Priorities

Austria, under its eHealth strategy extended to 2030, adopts a “digital before ambulatory before inpatient” approach, focusing on digitizing initial healthcare contact. By 2028, Austria plans to allocate around 14 billion euros for healthcare reform, emphasizing the expansion of digital and telemedicine services. This reform aims to provide high-quality care independent of location and time, easing professional workloads through digitalization, and promoting new roles like Community Nurses to ensure sustainable, excellent healthcare.

France’s Logical Out-of-The-Box Approach

In France 30.2% of the population lives in a so-called “medical desert”. The country now combats rural physician shortages by setting up approximately 300 telemedicine practices in train stations in underserved areas. These facilities offer a range of services, including video consultations, vaccinations, and blood tests, and are staffed by nurses who can administer vaccines and conduct treatments under a doctor’s remote supervision. This approach caters to both commuters and the local population and is a collaboration between Groupe SNCF, the national railway company of France, and French HealthTech firm LOXAMED.

Telemedicine in Berlin’s Nursing Homes

In Berlin, the BlenCon project is now operational in eight nursing homes. BlenCon brings specialist care, specifically cardiology, into nursing homes virtually. A specially trained nurse conducts examinations guided by a cardiologist via video, using tools like a telemedicine stethoscope. This initiative, underpinned by the three-year commitment from Techniker Krankenkasse, Germany’s largest health insurer, aims to improve healthcare quality while easing organizational burdens for healthcare professionals, enhancing treatment quality, and fostering better medical collaboration. It’s a pioneering approach addressing demographic changes and potential staffing shortages, and if successful, it may become part of regular care.

WHO Study Confirms Effectiveness

A study by WHO Regional Office for Europe and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya found telemedicine effective in chronic disease management, improving clinical outcomes and follow-up care. WHO advocates for comprehensive telemedicine implementation to advance universal health coverage and enhance well-being. Across the European Union, telehealth services’ acceleration during COVID-19, and Member States now explore expanding these services and ensuring their financial sustainability by adapting reimbursement legislation and clarifying regulatory frameworks.

Source: Lemonmint – Digital Hospital Initiatives

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