Whereas the German public well being sector has taken a step in the direction of digitalisation, making digital prescriptions compulsory, the highway to the European Well being Knowledge Area remains to be lengthy.
In Germany, a “pink slip” granted the holder the proper medical treatment on the closest pharmacy, however they’re now a factor of the previous. As of 2024, sufferers in Germany obtain their prescriptions in digital type solely.
Germany is now progressing in an space the place 14 different EU international locations have already made headway. Northern European international locations equivalent to Sweden and Denmark have a decades-long historical past of comparable prescription methods with profitable implementation.
The German transfer to digitise prescriptions and to introduce an digital affected person abstract in 2025 tries to shut some gaps with its European neighbours. All Member States will probably be related to the MyHealth@EU knowledge infrastructure by 2025.
“MyHealth@EU” is a crucial EU initiative for the event of requirements and interoperability specs for well being knowledge sharing throughout member states.
Nevertheless, German ePrescriptions won’t be able for use all through Europe for a while.
“The primary sensible [cross-border] use case for Germany would be the affected person abstract,” a spokesperson of the Federal Well being Ministry informed Euractiv, including that introduction is scheduled for 2025.
At the moment, all EU international locations aside from Denmark and Romania are working to implement an digital prescription and a affected person abstract to be accessible all through Europe through the so-called MyHealth@EU knowledge infrastructure.
The present goal of Germany represents the minimal purpose set out by the initiative to have launched one among these or each companies by 2025.
Following the affected person abstract, the “cross-border ePrescriptions would be the subsequent sensible use case for Germany in MyHealth@EU,” the spokesperson confirmed.
Sooner or later, medical photos, lab outcomes and hospital discharge experiences, in addition to full well being information, are deliberate to be launched to the MyHealth@EU platform, remodeling it into the EU Well being Knowledge Area. This aggregated well being knowledge can be shared for analysis and innovation of public curiosity.
Particulars on this shared knowledge area are presently being negotiated between the European Parliament and the EU international locations.
Germany’s well being digitalisation begins
Albeit two years later than initially deliberate, the digital prescription is embedded within the German Ministry of Well being’s plan “to make use of digital options to enhance on a regular basis healthcare and analysis alternatives in Germany.”
In December, the German Bundestag accredited two legislative acts to enhance care and analysis within the healthcare sector through digitalisation, and digital prescriptions are the primary measure popping out of it.
“With the digital legal guidelines, we’re lastly ushering within the digital age for the German healthcare system. We’re beginning the race to meet up with the digital prescription, which is able to turn into normal from 1 January,” the German Minister of Well being Karl Lauterbach acknowledged.
The brand new prescription type will probably be generated and signed solely digitally. It may be redeemed with an digital medical insurance card, a smartphone utility or a printout.
It’s imagined to remove the necessity for physician appointments to resume a prescription and may have the benefit of ruling out any miscommunication probably brought on by a handwritten model. As well as, it’s marketed to allow treatment reminders and may make it simpler for well being professionals to test whether or not the medicines are appropriate with one another.
Initially, the nationwide introduction of the digital prescription was deliberate for mid-2021. A sluggish check section, knowledge safety issues and technical difficulties delayed the necessary implementation till now.
The official begin originally of the week was hampered for sufferers of three insurance coverage suppliers because of the inaccessibility of the prescription through their smartphone app. Moreover, docs and pharmacies complained concerning the lack of public consciousness concerning the change, inflicting the necessity for prolonged explanations.
Nevertheless, Hans-Peter Hubmann, Chairman of the German Pharmacists’ Affiliation (DAV), welcomed the measures for the additional introduction of the ePrescription: “It’s only logical that the ePrescription will now even be necessary for docs’ practices from 2024.” Nonetheless, “the brand new prescription system remains to be bumpy in numerous areas,” he added.
[By Kjeld Neubert, Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi | Euractiv.com]
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