A composite index for the benchmarking of eHealth Deployment in European acute Hospitals. Distilling reality in manageable form for evidence based policy

Abstract

This report presents the results of the multivariate statistical analysis performed by the authors on the data from the eHealth benchmarking Phase III survey. This survey, funded and managed by Unit C4 of DG INFSO, gathered data from a statistically representative sample of European acute hospitals in order to benchmark their level of eHealth deployment.

The authors, after placing it within the appropriate policy context an within the broader academic debate on benchmarking in a policy perspective as part of the Open Method of Coordination, have rigorously and transparently constructed a composite index of Hospitals eHealth Deployment. They have also extensively discussed the results of the analysis and extracted implications and recommendations both for the benchmarking and evaluation agenda and for the broader policy agenda in this field.

The topic covered falls within the scope of research activities carried out during the past three years by IPTS Information Society Unit in the specific domain of eHealth, both for what concerns its development and innovation dynamics and for what relates to benchmarking and evaluation.

The Techno-economic Impact Enabling Societal Change (TIESC) Action of IPTS IS Unit, in fact, manages since 2009 the three-year project Strategic Intelligence Monitor for Personal Health Systems (SIMPHS) and focuses also on issues of measurement and evaluation .

As mentioned, the survey producing the data analysed in this report has been funded and managed by DG INFSO Unit C4. The authors, in representation of IPTS, were part of the steering board of this project and were given the opportunity to access and use the data as soon as they were ready.

We want, thus, to thank the Head of Unit C4 Lucilla Sioli for providing us such opportunity, the study Project Officer Virginia Braunstein for the support and collaboration during the realisation of this report, and Stefano Abbruzini (also from Unit C4) for useful comments provided on an earlier draft of this report.

We also want to thank Maria Del Mar Negreiro Achiaga, Project Manager of the Deloitte/Ipsos consortium that realised the survey, for her collaboration and availability.