Third Ministerial Conference on eHealth

eHealth is the use of information technologies, especially the Internet, to enhance the quality and accessibility of health services. Applications range from simple administrative tools such as managing patient databases to complex clinical applications which can support the clinician in diagnosis and treatment. As part of an overall approach to increasing the uptake of new technologies, the European Commission has managed an eHealth programme for several years.

The third Ministerial Conference on eHealth will take place in Tromsø, Norway on 23-24 May 2005. It is being organised by the Norwegian government, in conjunction with the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU and the European Commission

The conference is expected to attract some 400-500 ministers, officials and experts as well as NGO and business representatives from EU member and applicant states, EFTA countries, and the European Commission.

The main objective of the conference will be to assess progress and carry forward the political priorities set out by two earlier eHealth conferences that took place in Brussels in 2003 and Cork in 2004.

Among the areas for discussion are:
 Reviewing the launch, the intermediate results, and the upcoming year’s activities of the eHealth Action Plan.
 Facilitating mobility within and between countries - meeting the challenges of increased mobility.
 Supporting more responsive health services and creating greater public awareness through better health information.
 Improving access to and quality of care, patient safety, and productivity.

 Conference website