LONDON – A recent report by Frost & Sullivan has shown that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of introducing eHealth initiatives in Europe. The report, titled E-Healthcare Initiatives in the United Kingdom, focuses on the UK’s successful implementation of several eHealth projects and the challenges of launching such projects nationwide.

“The development of several e-healthcare solutions and the partnership with British Telecom has enabled the UK government to adopt e-healthcare in the reform process,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Associate Jayashree Rajagopal, author of the report.

It is important for telecommunication operators to understand the healthcare environment to effectively work with national governments on eHealth projects that meet the needs of all industry stakeholders.

“A basic understanding of e-healthcare solutions coupled with experience in low-level initiatives will strengthen the efforts of telecom operators planning to partner with national governments for country-level initiatives,” noted Rajagopal. “Achievable goals, careful planning, step by step implementation and periodic reviews will be the key success factors for countrywide e-healthcare implementations.”

As an example of the challenges associated with eHealth implementation, the report noted that England’s Spine database, the country’s central repository for patient records, has come under fire for its lackluster security. Other examples include lack of funding and poor coordination for improving existing or creating new eHealth projects.

The National Program for Information Technology aims to combat inefficiencies and inadequate support in order to launch eHealth projects. Yet IT experts say it will still be a challenge to implement a single nationwide system.

“The returns for healthcare investments can be realized only in the long-term. Hence, the investments from the government must be regular,” Rajagopal concluded.