Based on the findings of the
third global survey on eHealth 2015
Global Observatory for eHealth
Atlas of eHealth country profiles
The use of eHealth in support
of universal health coverage
WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Atlas of eHealth country profiles: the use of eHealth in support of universal health coverage: based on the findings of the third global survey on eHealth 2015.
1.Medical Informatics. 2.Information Technology. 3.Telemedicine – trends. 4.Universal Coverage. 5.Data collection. I.WHO Global Observatory for eHealth.
ISBN 978 92 4 156521 9 (NLM classification: W 26.5)
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Printed by the WHO Document Production Services, Geneva, Switzerland
2 01 5
Based on the findings of the
third global survey on eHealth 2015
Global Observatory for eHealth
Atlas of eHealth country profiles
The use of eHealth in support
of universal health coverage
Acknowledgments
The production of this Atlas would not have been possible without the input of many eHealth experts and the support of the numerous colleagues at the World Health Organization headquarters, regional and country offices.
Our sincere gratitude goes to over 600 eHealth experts in 125 countries worldwide who helped shape the results by sharing their knowledge through completing the 2015 global survey on eHealth. We are also indebted to an extensive network of eHealth professionals and WHO staff who assisted with the design and implementation of the survey. The WHO eHealth focal points in six WHO regions played an important role in encouraging Member States to participate therefore ensuring a high response rate of 64% for the survey. eHealth focal points include Housseynou Ba, Hani Farouk, Clayton Hamilton, Mark Landry, David Novillo and Miguel Peixoto.
Special thanks go to Mohamed Nour (WHO Eastern Mediterranean Office) and Katharine Shelley (consultant) for their expert processing and analysis of the survey data. The GOe wishes to acknowledge its gratitude for the ongoing support and advice from Joan Dzenowagis, Diana Zandi and Ed Kelley (WHO Geneva).
Our appreciation to Jillian Reichenbach Ott, Genève Design, for her design and layout, and Kai Lashley, Further Consulting, for technical editing.
The global survey and this Atlas were prepared by the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth under the management of Misha Kay.
Photo credits: © iStock photos
Table of contents
Acknowledgments . . . . iv
A guide to the country profiles . . . . 5
Background . . . . 5
Methodological considerations . . . . 6
Quality assurance . . . . 6
Presentation of secondary data . . . . 6
Overview of country profiles . . . . 9
Introduction . . . . 9
1 . eHealth foundations . . . . 9
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth . . . . 10
3 . Telehealth . . . . 10
4 . Electronic health records . . . . 11
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences . . . . 11
6 . mHealth . . . . 11
7 . Social media . . . . 11
8 . Big data . . . . 11
Afghanistan
12Albania
15Algeria
18Argentina
21Armenia
24Australia
27Austria
30Azerbaijan
33Bahrain
36Bangladesh
39Belarus
42Belgium
45Benin
48Bhutan
51Bosnia and Herzegovina
54Botswana
57Bulgaria
60Burkina Faso
63Burundi
66Cabo Verde
69Country profiles
1
Cambodia
72Canada
75Central African Republic
78Chile
81China
84Colombia
87Comoros
90Costa Rica
93Cote D'Ivoire
96Croatia
99Cuba
102Cyprus
105Czech Republic
108Democratic People's Republic of Korea
111Denmark
114Dominican Republic
117El Salvador
120Equatorial Guinea
123Estonia
126Ethiopia
129Finland
132Gambia
135Georgia
138Ghana
141Greece
144Guatemala
147Guinea-Bissau
150Honduras
153Hungary
156Iceland
159Iran (Islamic Republic of)
162Iraq
165Ireland
168Israel
171Italy
174Jamaica
177Japan
180Jordan
183Kazakhstan
186Kenya
189Kiribati
192Kyrgyzstan
195Lao People's Democratic Republic
198Latvia
201Lebanon
204Lesotho
207Lithuania
210Luxembourg
213Madagascar
216Malawi
219Malaysia
222Maldives
225Mali
228Malta
231Mauritania
234Mexico
237Mongolia
240Montenegro
243Morocco
246Netherlands
249New Zealand
252Niger
255Norway
258Oman
261Pakistan
264Panama
267Paraguay
270Peru
273Philippines
276Poland
279Portugal
282Qatar
285Republic of Moldova
288Romania
291Russian Federation
294Rwanda
297San Marino
300Senegal
303Serbia
306Seychelles
309Singapore
312Slovenia
315Somalia
318South Africa
321South Sudan
324Spain
327Sudan
330Sweden
333Switzerland
336Syrian Arab Republic
339Tajikistan
342Timor-Leste
345Trinidad and Tobago
348Tunisia
351Turkey
354Turkmenistan
357Uganda
360Ukraine
363United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
366United States of America
369Uruguay
372Uzbekistan
375Viet Nam
378Zambia
381Zimbabwe
3843
Background
The third global survey on eHealth conducted by the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe)
1has a special focus – the use of eHealth in support of universal health coverage. eHealth plays a vital role in promoting universal health coverage in a variety of ways. For instance, it helps provide services to remote populations and underserved communities through telehealth or mHealth. It facilitates the training of the health workforce through the use of eLearning, and makes education more widely accessible especially for those who are isolated. It enhances diagnosis and treatment by providing accurate and timely patient information through electronic health records. And through the strategic use of ICT, it improves the operations and financial efficiency of health care systems.
This Atlas presents data collected on 125 WHO Member States. The survey was undertaken by the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth between April and August 2015 and represents the most current information on the use of eHealth in these countries.
The country survey tools may be downloaded from the following GOe website: http://www.who.int/goe.
All the country profiles can be accessed at http://www.who.int/goe/publications/en/.
1 Global Observatory for eHealth: http://www.who.int/goe
A guide to the country profiles
A guide to the country profiles
5
Methodological considerations
A total of 125 WHO Member States, representing a 64% response rate, completed the survey, which is the highest response rate for any GOe survey to date. The scope of the survey was broad; survey questions covered diverse areas of eHealth, from electronic information systems to social media, to policy issues and legal frameworks. The survey responses were based on self-reporting by a selected group of eHealth experts for each participating country. While every effort was made by countries to select the best national experts to complete the instrument, it was not possible to determine whether they had the collective eHealth knowledge to answer each question. Similarly, while survey responses were checked for consistency and accuracy, it was not possible to verify all responses to every question.
Quality assurance
Country profiles are intended to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the eHealth landscape according to selected indicators. The Global Observatory for eHealth implemented a range of measures to assure quality.
The surveys received from participating countries were reviewed for completeness. External sources of information were used for validation of the data and to resolve inconsistencies. Data were reviewed before entry and after layout for publication.
Presentation of secondary data
The following indicators were selected for each country to complement the country profile information and to provide the country context for the eHealth data. Indicators and their sources are included below.
1. Population in thousands (per 100 000 population). World population prospects: the 2015 revision.
Key findings and advance tables. New York: United Nations Population Division; 2015 (http://esa.
un.org/unpd/wpp/publications/files/key_findings_wpp_2015.pdf, accessed 27 November 2015).
2. Physician density (per 1 000 population). World health statistics. Geneva: World Health
Organization; 2012: (http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WHS2012_
Full.pdf, accessed 27 November 2015).
3. Nurse and midwife density (per 10 000 population). World health statistics. Geneva: World Health
Organization; 2012: (http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WHS2012_
Full.pdf, accessed 27 November 2015).
4. Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population).
European Region: European health for all database (HFA-DB). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office
for Europe; 2015 (http://www.euro.who.int/en/data-and-evidence/databases/european-health-for- all-database-hfa-db, accessed 27 November 2015).
Western Pacific Region: Western Pacific Region Countries and Areas. Manila: WHO Regional Office
for the Western Pacific; 2014 (http://www.wpro.who.int/countries/en, accessed 5 January 2016).
South-East Asia Region: South-East Asia Region Countries. New Delhi: WHO Regional Office for
South-East Asia; 2014 (http://www.searo.who.int/countries/en, accessed 5 January 2016).
Region of the Americas: Pan-American Health Organization Regional Core Health Data Initiative.
WHO Regional office for the Americas; 2014: (http://www1.paho.org/English/SHA/coredata/
tabulator/newTabulator.htm, accessed 5 January 2016).
5. Life expectancy at birth (years). WHO Mortality Database. Geneva: World Health Organization;
2014 (http://apps.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/mortality/whodpms, accessed 28 November 2015).
6. Gross national income (GNI) per capita (international $) . World development indicators.
Washington DC, World Bank: 2014 (http://data.worldbank.org, accessed 28 November 2015).
7. Total health expenditure (% GDP). World health statistics. Geneva: World Health Organization;
2010 (http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2010/en, accessed 28 November 2015).
8. ICT Development Index rank. Measuring the information society. Geneva: International
Telecommunication Union; 2014: (https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/publications/
mis2014/MIS2014_without_Annex_4.pdf, accessed 28 November 2015).
9. Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% inhabitants). ICT-Eye: key ICT data and statistics. Geneva:
International Telecommunication Union; 2014 (http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/
Indicators.aspx, accessed 28 November 2015).
10. Internet users (% of individuals). ICT-Eye: key ICT data and statistics. Geneva: International
Telecommunication Union; 2014 (http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx, accessed 28 November 2015).
A guide to the country profiles
7
Introduction
The data are grouped by eight eHealth themes covered by the 2015 global survey. Each grouping is intended to give the reader an overview of the eHealth landscape in individual countries in 2015 for each particular theme. For the most comprehensive overview, however, it is recommended that responses to all the themes be considered together as this will provide the most complete picture of the eHealth landscape.
Country context
These indicators are included to provide the reader with the context and background for the eHealth work being performed in the country. The country context shows indicators of population size, economic status, life expectancy, availability of health-related human resources (e.g. health-care worker), bed density and some high-level ICT indicators. Together they form a package of indicators that both describe the country and that can be used to compare countries.
1 . eHealth foundations
A selection of some of the fundamental building blocks required to create an enabling environment for eHealth are listed in this section. This includes a selection of indicators on eHealth-related policies or strategies, funding, multilingualism and capacity building. Data are reported by the individual “country
Overview of
country profiles
Overview of country profiles
9
response” (yes, no or don’t know), “global yes response”, which is the average “yes” response to each indicator across all countries (expressed as a percentage), and “year adopted” for the particular indicator in the case of national policies/strategies and multilingualism. The former represent the level of planning and action around the use of eHealth in the country’s health system. The other indicators of this section are described below.
Funding sources is a vital indicator of the level of financial support available for eHealth; the survey provides four funding options. As above, the answers are expressed as “country response” and “global yes response”; it has an additional measurement for the level of funding: no funding, low <25%, medium
<50%, high <75% and very high >75%.
The survey also included a section on multilingualism as it reflects a government’s commitment to inclusion of linguistic minorities in the country with respect to eHealth activities. The indicators show policy or strategy support as well as practical support in building multilingual Internet sites.
eHealth capacity building is another significant indicator as it shows whether students or professionals are receiving training in preparation for their exposure to eHealth in clinical settings. The “proportion” of students receiving training is expressed in the same was as for the funding sources above: no funding, low
<25%, medium <50%, high <75% and very high >75%.
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
This group of indicators reports on the policy and legislative environment of eHealth in a country. It is measured by a series of 13 indicators which essentially aim to show the degree of protection and control that individuals have of their health-related data in a digital environment. Indicator data includes “country response” as well as “global yes response”.
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth is probably one of the most well-known and best established of all eHealth services. This section reports on the operations of five of the most common telehealth programmes globally and what level of the health system they are operating at as well as the type of programme.
Health system levels include:
International level – health entities in other countries in the world
Regional level – health entities in countries in the same geographic region
National level – referral hospitals, laboratories and health institutes (mainly public, but also private) Intermediate level, covering district or provincial facilities – public, private for-profit and private
not-for-profit (e.g. religious) hospitals and health centres
Local or peripheral level – health posts, health centres providing basic level of care
Types of programmes include:
Informal – use of ICT for health purposes in the absence of formal processes and policies Pilot – testing and evaluating a programme
Established – an ongoing programme that has been conducted for a minimum of 2 years and is
planned to continue.
4 . Electronic health records
This section of the country profile provides an overview of the state of adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the country. It identifies whether the country has introduced a national EHR system and if there is legislation governing its use. It identifies at what level of the health system the EHRs are being used (primary, secondary or tertiary) and what proportion (%) of the facilities are using the records. It further identifies other electronic systems that the EHR system is linked to and shows the “global yes response”
for each option. Finally it lists ICT-assisted systems, the “country response” and the “global yes response”.
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
The scope of the application of eLearning for pre-service education of health sciences students as well as in-service training for health professionals is covered in this section. The faculties or professions which can benefit from eLearning techniques for training are identified along with the “country response” as well as the “global yes response”.
6 . mHealth
This section aims to present a country overview of the mHealth activities being conducted by category of mHealth programme, “health system level” and “programme type” – as described above in Telehealth.
7 . Social media
The social media profile reports its policy or strategy status and year of adoption. It further lists the use of social media by health care organizations as well as by individuals and communities. Each response has a corresponding “country response” and “global yes response”.
8 . Big data
This section asks preliminary questions on whether policies or strategies have been adopted by governments to govern the use of big data (i.e. very large data sets) in the health sector or by private companies.
Overview of country profiles
11
Afghanistan
Country context*
1 . eHealth foundations
National policies or strategies
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National universal health coverage policy or strategy — 75% N/A
National eHealth policy or strategy — 58% N/A
National health information system (HIS) policy or strategy Yes 66% ‡
National telehealth policy or strategy No 22% N/A
Funding sources for eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Funding source %**
Public funding No 77% Zero
Private or commercial funding Yes 40% <25%
Donor/non-public funding Yes 63% 50-75%
Public-private partnerships — 42% Zero
Multilingualism in eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Policy or strategy on multilingualism No 28% N/A
Government-supported Internet sites in multiple languages Yes 48%
eHealth capacity building
Country response Global "yes" response§ Proportion**
Health sciences students – Pre-service training in eHealth Yes 74% <25%
Health professionals – In-service training in eHealth Yes 77% <25%
Population (000s) 30,552 Life expectancy at birth (years) 61
GNI per capita (PPP Int $) 2,000 Total health expenditure (% GDP) 8.1
Physician density (per 10 000 population) 0.27 ICT Development Index rank — Nurse & midwife density (per 10 000 population) 0.50 Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% population) 60.35 Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population) 4 Internet users (% population) 5.5
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
Policy or legislation – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§
Defines medical jurisdiction, liability or reimbursement of eHealth services such
as telehealth No 31%
Addresses patient safety and quality of care based on data quality, data
transmission standards or clinical competency criteria No 46%
Protects the privacy of personally identifiable data of individuals irrespective of
whether it is in paper or digital format No 78%
Protects the privacy of individuals’ health-related data held in electronic
format in an EHR No 54%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in other
health services in the same country through the use of an EHR — 34%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in health
services in other countries through the use of an EHR — 22%
Governs the sharing of personal and health data between research entities No 39%
Allows individuals electronic access to their own health-related data when
held in an EHR — 29%
Allows individuals to demand their own health-related data be corrected when
held in an EHR if it is known to be inaccurate — 32%
Allows individuals to demand the deletion of health-related data from their EHR — 18%
Allows individuals to specify which health-related data from their EHR can be
shared with health professionals of their choice — 28%
Governs civil registration and vital statistics Yes 76%
Governs national identification management systems — 65%
13
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth programmes country overview
Health system level** Programme type**
Teleradiology National Established
Teledermatology National Established
Telepathology National ‡
Telepsychiatry National Established
Remote patient monitoring National Established
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
eLearning programmes country overview
Health sciences students – Pre-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry Yes 39%
Public health Yes 50%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 47%
Pharmacy No 38%
Biomedical/Life sciences No 42%
Health professionals – In-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry No 30%
Public health Yes 47%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 46%
Pharmacy No 31%
Biomedical/Life sciences No 34%
4 . Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHR country overview
Country response Year introduced
National EHR system ‡ ‡
Legislation governing the use of the national EHR system ‡
Health facilities with EHR Use EHR Facilities with EHR %**
Primary care facilities
(e.g. clinics and health care centres) N/A ‡
Secondary care facilities
(e.g. hospitals, emergency care) N/A ‡
Tertiary care facilities (e.g. specialized care, referral from
primary/secondary care) N/A ‡
Other electronic systems Country response Global "yes" response§
Laboratory information systems N/A 35%
Pathology information systems N/A 18%
Pharmacy information systems N/A 33%
PACS N/A 26%
Automatic vaccination alerting system N/A 10%
ICT-assisted functions Country response Global "yes" response§
Electronic medical billing systems No 58%
Supply chain management information systems No 58%
Human resources for health information systems Yes 69%
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
7 . Social media
Social media and health Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National policy or strategy on the use of social media by
government organizations — 18% N/A
Policy or strategy makes specific reference to its use in the
health domain ‡ 5%
Health care organizations – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§ Promote health messages as a part of health promotion campaigns Yes 78%
Help manage patient appointments Yes 24%
Seek feedback on services Yes 56%
Make general health announcements Yes 72%
Make emergency announcements Yes 59%
Individuals and communities – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§
Learn about health issues Yes 79%
Help decide what health services to use — 56%
Provide feedback to health facilities or health professionals Yes 62%
Run community-based health campaigns Yes 62%
Participate in community-based health forums — 59%
8 . Big data
Policy or strategy – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Governing the use of big data in the health sector Yes 17% ‡
Governing the use of big data by private companies No 8% N/A
Afghanistan
6 . mHealth
mHealth programmes country overview
Accessing/providing health services Health system level** Programme type**
Toll-free emergency ‡ ‡
Health call centres ‡ ‡
Appointment reminders Local Pilot
Mobile telehealth Intermediate Informal
Management of disasters and emergencies National, Intermediate, Local Informal
Treatment adherence National Pilot
Accessing/providing health information Health system level** Programme type**
Community mobilization National Pilot
Access to information, databases and tools National Established
Patient records ‡ ‡
mLearning ‡ ‡
Decision support systems National Pilot
Collecting health information Health system level** Programme type**
Patient monitoring ‡ ‡
Health surveys ‡ ‡
Disease surveillance ‡ ‡
LEGENd
* Country context indicators
ICT Development Index Rank. 2015 - https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2015/
All other country indicators. Global Health Observatory. 2012-2014 - http://www.who.int/gho
** Glossary
§ Indicates the percentage of participating Member States responding “Yes”
— Don’t know N/A Not applicable
‡ Indicates question was unanswered Question not asked
International level: Health entities in different geographic regions
Regional level: Health entities in countries in the same geographic region National level: Referral hospitals, laboratories and health institutes (mainly
public, but also private)
Intermediate level: District or provincial facilities: public and private hospitals and health centres
Local or peripheral level: Health posts, health centres providing basic level of care Informal: Use of ICT for health purposes in the absence of formal
processes and policies
Pilot: Testing and evaluating a programme
Established: An ongoing programme that has been conducted for a
15
Albania
Country context*
1 . eHealth foundations
National policies or strategies
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National universal health coverage policy or strategy Yes 75% 2013
National eHealth policy or strategy No 58% N/A
National health information system (HIS) policy or strategy No 66% N/A
National telehealth policy or strategy No 22% N/A
Funding sources for eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Funding source %**
Public funding Yes 77% Zero
Private or commercial funding — 40% Zero
Donor/non-public funding Yes 63% <25%
Public-private partnerships No 42% Zero
Multilingualism in eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Policy or strategy on multilingualism — 28% N/A
Government-supported Internet sites in multiple languages No 48%
eHealth capacity building
Country response Global "yes" response§ Proportion**
Health sciences students – Pre-service training in eHealth No 74% N/A
Health professionals – In-service training in eHealth No 77% N/A
Population (000s) 3,173 Life expectancy at birth (years) 74
GNI per capita (PPP Int $) 10,520 Total health expenditure (% GDP) 5.9 Physician density (per 10 000 population) 1.15 ICT Development Index rank 80 Nurse & midwife density (per 10 000 population) 3.85 Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% population) 110.69 Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population) 28 Internet users (% population) 54.7
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
Policy or legislation – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§
Defines medical jurisdiction, liability or reimbursement of eHealth services such
as telehealth — 31%
Addresses patient safety and quality of care based on data quality, data
transmission standards or clinical competency criteria — 46%
Protects the privacy of personally identifiable data of individuals irrespective of
whether it is in paper or digital format Yes 78%
Protects the privacy of individuals’ health-related data held in electronic
format in an EHR No 54%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in other
health services in the same country through the use of an EHR No 34%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in health
services in other countries through the use of an EHR No 22%
Governs the sharing of personal and health data between research entities No 39%
Allows individuals electronic access to their own health-related data when
held in an EHR No 29%
Allows individuals to demand their own health-related data be corrected when
held in an EHR if it is known to be inaccurate No 32%
Allows individuals to demand the deletion of health-related data from their EHR No 18%
Allows individuals to specify which health-related data from their EHR can be
shared with health professionals of their choice No 28%
Governs civil registration and vital statistics — 76%
Governs national identification management systems — 65%
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth programmes country overview
Health system level** Programme type**
Teleradiology National Pilot
Teledermatology National Pilot
Telepathology National Pilot
Telepsychiatry National Pilot
Remote patient monitoring ‡ ‡
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
eLearning programmes country overview
Health sciences students – Pre-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine N/A 58%
Dentistry N/A 39%
Public health N/A 50%
Nursing & midwifery N/A 47%
Pharmacy N/A 38%
Biomedical/Life sciences N/A 42%
Health professionals – In-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine N/A 58%
Dentistry N/A 30%
Public health N/A 47%
Nursing & midwifery N/A 46%
Pharmacy N/A 31%
Biomedical/Life sciences N/A 34%
4 . Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHR country overview
Country response Year introduced
National EHR system Yes 2015
Legislation governing the use of the national EHR system Yes
Health facilities with EHR Use EHR Facilities with EHR %**
Primary care facilities
(e.g. clinics and health care centres) Yes >75%
Secondary care facilities
(e.g. hospitals, emergency care) Yes >75%
Tertiary care facilities (e.g. specialized care, referral from
primary/secondary care) Yes >75%
Other electronic systems Country response Global "yes" response§
Laboratory information systems No 35%
Pathology information systems No 18%
Pharmacy information systems No 33%
PACS No 26%
Automatic vaccination alerting system No 10%
ICT-assisted functions Country response Global "yes" response§
Electronic medical billing systems — 58%
Supply chain management information systems No 58%
Human resources for health information systems Yes 69%
WHO European Region
17
7 . Social media
Social media and health Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National policy or strategy on the use of social media by
government organizations Yes 18% 2013
Policy or strategy makes specific reference to its use in the
health domain No 5%
Health care organizations – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§ Promote health messages as a part of health promotion campaigns Yes 78%
Help manage patient appointments No 24%
Seek feedback on services Yes 56%
Make general health announcements Yes 72%
Make emergency announcements Yes 59%
Individuals and communities – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§
Learn about health issues Yes 79%
Help decide what health services to use No 56%
Provide feedback to health facilities or health professionals No 62%
Run community-based health campaigns Yes 62%
Participate in community-based health forums No 59%
8 . Big data
Policy or strategy – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Governing the use of big data in the health sector No 17% N/A
Governing the use of big data by private companies No 8% N/A
Albania
6 . mHealth
mHealth programmes country overview
Accessing/providing health services Health system level** Programme type**
Toll-free emergency ‡ ‡
Health call centres ‡ ‡
Appointment reminders ‡ ‡
Mobile telehealth National Pilot
Management of disasters and emergencies National Pilot
Treatment adherence ‡ ‡
Accessing/providing health information Health system level** Programme type**
Community mobilization ‡ ‡
Access to information, databases and tools ‡ ‡
Patient records ‡ ‡
mLearning National Pilot
Decision support systems ‡ ‡
Collecting health information Health system level** Programme type**
Patient monitoring National Pilot
Health surveys ‡ ‡
Disease surveillance ‡ ‡
LEGENd
* Country context indicators
ICT Development Index Rank. 2015 - https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2015/
All other country indicators. Global Health Observatory. 2012-2014 - http://www.who.int/gho
** Glossary
§ Indicates the percentage of participating Member States responding “Yes”
— Don’t know N/A Not applicable
‡ Indicates question was unanswered Question not asked
Zero No funding
International level: Health entities in different geographic regions
Regional level: Health entities in countries in the same geographic region National level: Referral hospitals, laboratories and health institutes (mainly
public, but also private)
Intermediate level: District or provincial facilities: public and private hospitals and health centres
Local or peripheral level: Health posts, health centres providing basic level of care Informal: Use of ICT for health purposes in the absence of formal
processes and policies
Pilot: Testing and evaluating a programme
Established: An ongoing programme that has been conducted for a minimum of 2 years and is planned to continue
© 2016 WHO http://www.who.int/goe
Algeria
Country context*
1 . eHealth foundations
National policies or strategies
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National universal health coverage policy or strategy Yes 75% 1974
National eHealth policy or strategy No 58% N/A
National health information system (HIS) policy or strategy Yes 66% 2014
National telehealth policy or strategy No 22% N/A
Funding sources for eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Funding source %**
Public funding Yes 77% >75%
Private or commercial funding Yes 40% Zero
Donor/non-public funding Yes 63% <25%
Public-private partnerships No 42% Zero
Multilingualism in eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Policy or strategy on multilingualism No 28% N/A
Government-supported Internet sites in multiple languages Yes 48%
eHealth capacity building
Country response Global "yes" response§ Proportion**
Health sciences students – Pre-service training in eHealth Yes 74% 50-75%
Health professionals – In-service training in eHealth Yes 77% 50-75%
Population (000s) 39,208 Life expectancy at birth (years) 72
GNI per capita (PPP Int $) 12,990 Total health expenditure (% GDP) 6.6 Physician density (per 10 000 population) 1.21 ICT Development Index rank 106 Nurse & midwife density (per 10 000 population) 1.95 Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% population) 97.95 Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population) 17 Internet users (% population) 15.2
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
Policy or legislation – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§
Defines medical jurisdiction, liability or reimbursement of eHealth services such
as telehealth No 31%
Addresses patient safety and quality of care based on data quality, data
transmission standards or clinical competency criteria No 46%
Protects the privacy of personally identifiable data of individuals irrespective of
whether it is in paper or digital format — 78%
Protects the privacy of individuals’ health-related data held in electronic
format in an EHR No 54%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in other
health services in the same country through the use of an EHR — 34%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in health
services in other countries through the use of an EHR — 22%
Governs the sharing of personal and health data between research entities — 39%
Allows individuals electronic access to their own health-related data when
held in an EHR No 29%
Allows individuals to demand their own health-related data be corrected when
held in an EHR if it is known to be inaccurate No 32%
Allows individuals to demand the deletion of health-related data from their EHR No 18%
Allows individuals to specify which health-related data from their EHR can be
shared with health professionals of their choice No 28%
Governs civil registration and vital statistics — 76%
Governs national identification management systems Yes 65%
19
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth programmes country overview
Health system level** Programme type**
Teleradiology Local Established
Teledermatology ‡ ‡
Telepathology Intermediate Established
Telepsychiatry ‡ ‡
Remote patient monitoring ‡ ‡
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
eLearning programmes country overview
Health sciences students – Pre-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry Yes 39%
Public health Yes 50%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 47%
Pharmacy Yes 38%
Biomedical/Life sciences Yes 42%
Health professionals – In-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry Yes 30%
Public health Yes 47%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 46%
Pharmacy Yes 31%
Biomedical/Life sciences Yes 34%
4 . Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHR country overview
Country response Year introduced
National EHR system No N/A
Legislation governing the use of the national EHR system ‡
Health facilities with EHR Use EHR Facilities with EHR %**
Primary care facilities
(e.g. clinics and health care centres) N/A ‡
Secondary care facilities
(e.g. hospitals, emergency care) N/A ‡
Tertiary care facilities (e.g. specialized care, referral from
primary/secondary care) N/A ‡
Other electronic systems Country response Global "yes" response§
Laboratory information systems N/A 35%
Pathology information systems N/A 18%
Pharmacy information systems N/A 33%
PACS N/A 26%
Automatic vaccination alerting system N/A 10%
ICT-assisted functions Country response Global "yes" response§
Electronic medical billing systems Yes 58%
Supply chain management information systems Yes 58%
Human resources for health information systems Yes 69%
WHO African Region
7 . Social media
Social media and health Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National policy or strategy on the use of social media by
government organizations No 18% N/A
Policy or strategy makes specific reference to its use in the
health domain ‡ 5%
Health care organizations – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§
Promote health messages as a part of health promotion campaigns No 78%
Help manage patient appointments No 24%
Seek feedback on services No 56%
Make general health announcements No 72%
Make emergency announcements No 59%
Individuals and communities – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§
Learn about health issues Yes 79%
Help decide what health services to use — 56%
Provide feedback to health facilities or health professionals Yes 62%
Run community-based health campaigns — 62%
Participate in community-based health forums Yes 59%
8 . Big data
Policy or strategy – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Governing the use of big data in the health sector No 17% N/A
Governing the use of big data by private companies No 8% N/A
Algeria
6 . mHealth
mHealth programmes country overview
Accessing/providing health services Health system level** Programme type**
Toll-free emergency National Established
Health call centres National Established
Appointment reminders ‡ ‡
Mobile telehealth ‡ ‡
Management of disasters and emergencies ‡ ‡
Treatment adherence ‡ ‡
Accessing/providing health information Health system level** Programme type**
Community mobilization National Established
Access to information, databases and tools International Established
Patient records Local Established
mLearning National Established
Decision support systems National Established
Collecting health information Health system level** Programme type**
Patient monitoring ‡ ‡
Health surveys ‡ ‡
Disease surveillance ‡ ‡
LEGENd
* Country context indicators
ICT Development Index Rank. 2015 - https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2015/
All other country indicators. Global Health Observatory. 2012-2014 - http://www.who.int/gho
** Glossary
§ Indicates the percentage of participating Member States responding “Yes”
— Don’t know N/A Not applicable
‡ Indicates question was unanswered Question not asked
International level: Health entities in different geographic regions
Regional level: Health entities in countries in the same geographic region National level: Referral hospitals, laboratories and health institutes (mainly
public, but also private)
Intermediate level: District or provincial facilities: public and private hospitals and health centres
Local or peripheral level: Health posts, health centres providing basic level of care Informal: Use of ICT for health purposes in the absence of formal
processes and policies
Pilot: Testing and evaluating a programme
Established: An ongoing programme that has been conducted for a
21
Argentina
Country context*
1 . eHealth foundations
National policies or strategies
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National universal health coverage policy or strategy Yes 75% 2005
National eHealth policy or strategy Yes 58% 2014
National health information system (HIS) policy or strategy Yes 66% 2007
National telehealth policy or strategy Yes 22% 2010
Funding sources for eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Funding source %**
Public funding Yes 77% 50-75%
Private or commercial funding No 40% Zero
Donor/non-public funding Yes 63% <25%
Public-private partnerships Yes 42% Zero
Multilingualism in eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Policy or strategy on multilingualism No 28% N/A
Government-supported Internet sites in multiple languages No 48%
eHealth capacity building
Country response Global "yes" response§ Proportion**
Health sciences students – Pre-service training in eHealth Yes 74% 25-50%
Health professionals – In-service training in eHealth Yes 77% 25-50%
Population (000s) 41,446 Life expectancy at birth (years) 76
GNI per capita (PPP Int $) — Total health expenditure (% GDP) 7.3
Physician density (per 10 000 population) 3.86 ICT Development Index rank 53 Nurse & midwife density (per 10 000 population) 0.48 Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% population) 151.91 Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population) 45 Internet users (% population) 55.8
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
Policy or legislation – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§
Defines medical jurisdiction, liability or reimbursement of eHealth services such
as telehealth No 31%
Addresses patient safety and quality of care based on data quality, data
transmission standards or clinical competency criteria Yes 46%
Protects the privacy of personally identifiable data of individuals irrespective of
whether it is in paper or digital format Yes 78%
Protects the privacy of individuals’ health-related data held in electronic
format in an EHR Yes 54%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in other
health services in the same country through the use of an EHR Yes 34%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in health
services in other countries through the use of an EHR Yes 22%
Governs the sharing of personal and health data between research entities Yes 39%
Allows individuals electronic access to their own health-related data when
held in an EHR ‡ 29%
Allows individuals to demand their own health-related data be corrected when
held in an EHR if it is known to be inaccurate Yes 32%
Allows individuals to demand the deletion of health-related data from their EHR Yes 18%
Allows individuals to specify which health-related data from their EHR can be
shared with health professionals of their choice Yes 28%
Governs civil registration and vital statistics Yes 76%
Governs national identification management systems Yes 65%
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth programmes country overview
Health system level** Programme type**
Teleradiology Reg, Nat, Intm, Loc Informal, Pilot
Teledermatology ‡ ‡
Telepathology National, Intermediate, Local Informal, Pilot, Established
Telepsychiatry ‡ ‡
Remote patient monitoring ‡ ‡
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
eLearning programmes country overview
Health sciences students – Pre-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry No 39%
Public health Yes 50%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 47%
Pharmacy No 38%
Biomedical/Life sciences Yes 42%
Health professionals – In-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine Yes 58%
Dentistry Yes 30%
Public health Yes 47%
Nursing & midwifery Yes 46%
Pharmacy Yes 31%
Biomedical/Life sciences Yes 34%
4 . Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHR country overview
Country response Year introduced
National EHR system No N/A
Legislation governing the use of the national EHR system ‡
Health facilities with EHR Use EHR Facilities with EHR %**
Primary care facilities
(e.g. clinics and health care centres) N/A ‡
Secondary care facilities
(e.g. hospitals, emergency care) N/A ‡
Tertiary care facilities (e.g. specialized care, referral from
primary/secondary care) N/A ‡
Other electronic systems Country response Global "yes" response§
Laboratory information systems N/A 35%
Pathology information systems N/A 18%
Pharmacy information systems N/A 33%
PACS N/A 26%
Automatic vaccination alerting system N/A 10%
ICT-assisted functions Country response Global "yes" response§
Electronic medical billing systems Yes 58%
Supply chain management information systems Yes 58%
Human resources for health information systems Yes 69%
WHO Region of the Americas
23
7 . Social media
Social media and health Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National policy or strategy on the use of social media by
government organizations No 18% N/A
Policy or strategy makes specific reference to its use in the
health domain ‡ 5%
Health care organizations – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§ Promote health messages as a part of health promotion campaigns Yes 78%
Help manage patient appointments No 24%
Seek feedback on services Yes 56%
Make general health announcements Yes 72%
Make emergency announcements Yes 59%
Individuals and communities – use of social media Country response Global "yes" response§
Learn about health issues Yes 79%
Help decide what health services to use — 56%
Provide feedback to health facilities or health professionals Yes 62%
Run community-based health campaigns Yes 62%
Participate in community-based health forums Yes 59%
8 . Big data
Policy or strategy – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Governing the use of big data in the health sector Yes 17% 2009
Governing the use of big data by private companies No 8% N/A
Argentina
6 . mHealth
mHealth programmes country overview
Accessing/providing health services Health system level** Programme type**
Toll-free emergency Reg, Nat, Intm, Loc Established
Health call centres Reg, Nat, Intm, Loc Established
Appointment reminders Regional, Intermediate, Local Informal, Pilot
Mobile telehealth National Established
Management of disasters and emergencies Intermediate Established
Treatment adherence Intermediate, Local Informal, Pilot, Established
Accessing/providing health information Health system level** Programme type**
Community mobilization Regional, Intermediate, Local Established
Access to information, databases and tools All Established
Patient records Local Pilot, Established
mLearning Local Pilot, Established
Decision support systems Local Informal
Collecting health information Health system level** Programme type**
Patient monitoring Regional, Local Pilot, Established
Health surveys Intermediate Pilot
Disease surveillance ‡ ‡
LEGENd
* Country context indicators
ICT Development Index Rank. 2015 - https://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2015/
All other country indicators. Global Health Observatory. 2012-2014 - http://www.who.int/gho
** Glossary
§ Indicates the percentage of participating Member States responding “Yes”
— Don’t know N/A Not applicable
‡ Indicates question was unanswered Question not asked
Zero No funding
International level: Health entities in different geographic regions
Regional level: Health entities in countries in the same geographic region National level: Referral hospitals, laboratories and health institutes (mainly
public, but also private)
Intermediate level: District or provincial facilities: public and private hospitals and health centres
Local or peripheral level: Health posts, health centres providing basic level of care Informal: Use of ICT for health purposes in the absence of formal
processes and policies
Pilot: Testing and evaluating a programme
Established: An ongoing programme that has been conducted for a minimum of 2 years and is planned to continue
© 2016 WHO http://www.who.int/goe
Armenia
Country context*
1 . eHealth foundations
National policies or strategies
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
National universal health coverage policy or strategy Yes 75% 2012
National eHealth policy or strategy Yes 58% 2012
National health information system (HIS) policy or strategy Yes 66% 2010
National telehealth policy or strategy Yes 22% 2010
Funding sources for eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Funding source %**
Public funding No 77% Zero
Private or commercial funding Yes 40% Zero
Donor/non-public funding Yes 63% <25%
Public-private partnerships No 42% Zero
Multilingualism in eHealth
Country response Global "yes" response§ Year adopted
Policy or strategy on multilingualism No 28% N/A
Government-supported Internet sites in multiple languages Yes 48%
eHealth capacity building
Country response Global "yes" response§ Proportion**
Health sciences students – Pre-service training in eHealth Yes 74% 50-75%
Health professionals – In-service training in eHealth No 77% N/A
Population (000s) 2,977 Life expectancy at birth (years) 71
GNI per capita (PPP Int $) 8,140 Total health expenditure (% GDP) 4.5
Physician density (per 10 000 population) 2.70 ICT Development Index rank 74 Nurse & midwife density (per 10 000 population) 4.83 Mobile-cellular subscriptions (% population) 111.91 Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population) 37 Internet users (% population) 39.2
2 . Legal frameworks for eHealth
Policy or legislation – purpose Country response Global "yes" response§
Defines medical jurisdiction, liability or reimbursement of eHealth services such
as telehealth No 31%
Addresses patient safety and quality of care based on data quality, data
transmission standards or clinical competency criteria No 46%
Protects the privacy of personally identifiable data of individuals irrespective of
whether it is in paper or digital format Yes 78%
Protects the privacy of individuals’ health-related data held in electronic
format in an EHR Yes 54%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in other
health services in the same country through the use of an EHR No 34%
Governs the sharing of digital data between health professionals in health
services in other countries through the use of an EHR No 22%
Governs the sharing of personal and health data between research entities Yes 39%
Allows individuals electronic access to their own health-related data when
held in an EHR No 29%
Allows individuals to demand their own health-related data be corrected when
held in an EHR if it is known to be inaccurate — 32%
Allows individuals to demand the deletion of health-related data from their EHR No 18%
Allows individuals to specify which health-related data from their EHR can be
shared with health professionals of their choice No 28%
Governs civil registration and vital statistics Yes 76%
Governs national identification management systems Yes 65%
25
3 . Telehealth
Telehealth programmes country overview
Health system level** Programme type**
Teleradiology All Pilot
Teledermatology Local Informal
Telepathology Intermediate, Local Informal, Pilot
Telepsychiatry ‡ ‡
Remote patient monitoring Intermediate, Local Informal, Pilot
5 . Use of eLearning in health sciences
eLearning programmes country overview
Health sciences students – Pre-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine N/A 58%
Dentistry N/A 39%
Public health N/A 50%
Nursing & midwifery N/A 47%
Pharmacy N/A 38%
Biomedical/Life sciences N/A 42%
Health professionals – In-service Country response Global "yes" response§
Medicine N/A 58%
Dentistry N/A 30%
Public health N/A 47%
Nursing & midwifery N/A 46%
Pharmacy N/A 31%
Biomedical/Life sciences N/A 34%
4 . Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHR country overview
Country response Year introduced
National EHR system No N/A
Legislation governing the use of the national EHR system ‡
Health facilities with EHR Use EHR Facilities with EHR %**
Primary care facilities
(e.g. clinics and health care centres) N/A ‡
Secondary care facilities
(e.g. hospitals, emergency care) N/A ‡
Tertiary care facilities (e.g. specialized care, referral from
primary/secondary care) N/A ‡
Other electronic systems Country response Global "yes" response§
Laboratory information systems N/A 35%
Pathology information systems N/A 18%
Pharmacy information systems N/A 33%
PACS N/A 26%
Automatic vaccination alerting system N/A 10%
ICT-assisted functions Country response Global "yes" response§
Electronic medical billing systems Yes 58%
Supply chain management information systems — 58%
Human resources for health information systems No 69%