COCIR published, mid-January 2012, the results of a survey conducted in 2010 among European acute care hospitals on the availability, use, and investment plans towards 2015 for health information and communication technologies (health ICTs). According to the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry, this market, worth 2.5 billion Euro in 2010, is estimated to grow to nearly 2.8 billion Euro by 2015. The report is accessible at http://www.cocir.org/uploads/documents/-1386-cocir_market_intelligence_update_health_icts_13_january_2012.pdf.
Health ICTs include various information systems supporting the daily workflow in care provider organizations. The data collected reveals that, while 90% of hospitals use administrative information systems, most of them are insufficiently equipped with regard to all other types of information and communication technologies.
This second COCIR market overview focuses on clinical information systems (CIS). These are used to provide healthcare professionals with rapid access to patient data, and to guide them when making medical decisions. Though essential to improving and modernizing the delivery of care, investment in these systems remains limited. This undermines the ability of care providers to respond to the increasing demand for greater efficiency and safety, as well as upgraded quality of care.
COCIR “encourages governments and payers to collect scientific evidence on the economic and clinical benefits of clinical information systems”; the shortage of studies documenting the economic benefits of health ICTs, clinical information systems in particular, “is a challenge”. Healthcare professionals, including the management level, should also be provided with adequate IT skills and training to facilitate acceptance and adoption of these promising innovative technologies. “More investment in clinical information systems is required to accelerate the uptake of health ICTs in hospitals and improve healthcare delivery”, underlined COCIR Secretary General Nicole Denjoy, stressing the importance of stakeholder participation in that process.