Earlier this month (4 November), the Commission adopted a Communication to support and improve access for citizens and healthcare professionals to telemedicine services in Europe.
The EU executive is proposing various concrete measures to be introduced by all relevant actors, but especially by member states, to address three types of challenge that are slowing down the take-up of services for care at distance:
- Lack of confidence in and acceptance of telemedicine services;
- lack of legal clarity, and;
- technical issues related to facilitating market development.
According to the Commission, there is "limited evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine services on a large scale". Therefore, it argues that awareness, confidence and acceptance of telemedicine by health authorities, professionals and patients still needs to be strengthened.
"The paramount objective" in providing more legal clarity for the sector is to ensure that telemedicine develops "in such a manner that it benefits patient care while ensuring privacy and the highest standards of patient safety," notes the EU executive. Meanwhile, the lack of legal clarity with regard to licensing, accreditation and registration of telemedicine services and professionals, liability, reimbursement and jurisdiction are also hindering further development of the sector.
As for technical hurdles, the Commission underlines that the ability of providers to enable full connectivity with all geographical areas in the EU, including rural and ultra-peripheral regions, is "a prerequisite for the deployment of telemedicine". The solution to this would be to provide broadband access for all. Furthermore, the Communication notes that interoperability and standardisation are crucial for widespread take-up of the new technologies.
The EU executive underlines that regardless of the efforts in which itself and other stakeholders are willing to engage, "it is the member states' health authorities, primarily responsible for the organisation, financing and delivery of healthcare, that remain the principal actors with the ability to make telemedicine a reality".
