Brussels - 5 May 2011 - Building on the success of its Telemedicine Toolkit, published in 2010 and updated today, COCIR is launching its first eHealth Toolkit which will be a major building block for a better understanding of this fast-growing and highly-innovative sector. The benefits of eHealth are widely-recognised, but the European eHealth market is still fragmented.

The new eHealth Toolkit ‘For an accelerated deployment and better use of eHealth in Europe’ aims to provide clarity to policymakers and other stakeholders in the eHealth arena. This Toolkit sets out recommendations on how to create a favourable environment for innovative technologies in healthcare and identifies three priority areas: the development of an innovative business model for eHealth, the need for common standards and interoperability profiles and the construction of a competitive single eHealth market in Europe. These recommendations are based on COCIR’s market statistics which have been published for the first time in the Toolkit. A Glossary of Terms is also included to bring clarity to the eHealth debate.

In addition, COCIR is launching an updated version of its Telemedicine Toolkit today. It has been expanded with new evidence on the benefits of telehealth for patients and highlights the potential of mHealth to improve the management of chronic diseases.

Commenting on the launch of the Toolkits, Nicole Denjoy, COCIR Secretary General said “Today’s market for eHealth is estimated at €55 billion globally with at least one third of that in Europe. All agree that this market is set for explosive growth but that it is currently restricted by number of barriers. We believe that these Toolkits will help unlock the incredible potential of eHealth. But even more significant is the impact eHealth can have on improving citizen’s lives – giving better access to healthcare, improved quality of care and cost-effective delivery.



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