Europe faces a challenge: how to apply information and communication technologies to health care. One problem is the widening gap between the expectations of citizens and the limited resources available to provide health services. It is here that advanced technology can serve as an important tool to find innovative and more efficient ways of delivering health services. This book reports the summary of a study performed under contract by a team of consultants for Directorate-General XIII of the Commission of the European Communities. It analyses the key factors governing the evolution of advanced information systems for health care and medicine in Europe and provides guidelines for placing current and future work within the framework of the Community research and development programmes.

Contents: Executive Summary : Challenges and Opportunities

Status and Trends
Shaping Forces
Recommendations. Main Report : Background
Goals of a Future Action
Proposed Framework for Analysis and Definition of Actions
Guidelines for the Identification of Needed Actions
Identification of Major IHE Requirements and Priority Tasks. Issue Analyses : Alphanumeric Data and Text Coding Standards
Images and Biosignals, with Coding Standards
Medical Instrumentation and Devices
Knowledge Based and Decision Support Systems
Multimedia Workstations
Communication Networks and Archiving Systems
Modularity and Integration of Medical and Health Information Systems
Regulatory Tools and Incentives
References.