How can eHealth improve care for people with multimorbidity in Europe?

Francesco Barbabella, Maria Gabriella Melchiorre, Sabrina Quattrini, Roberta Papa, Giovanni Lamura. On behalf of the ICARE4EU consortium

eHealth is an area of great untapped potential especially in care for people with multimorbidity. This policy brief identifies: the eHealth solutions available; their potential benefits; and the current policies around the adoption of eHealth in care for people with multimorbidity. It offers policy makers insights on how to exploit eHealth solutions to the challenges of multimorbidity. The key messages include:

• eHealth has the potential to improve care and offer new services for people with multimorbidity by facilitating better communication and sharing of information and by providing tools for self-management and decision making  (personal health records, decision support systems, information systems for risk stratification).
• Patients, informal carers and care professionals will all need training in digital health literacy with educational campaigns having an important role in improving uptake.
• Policy makers planning to extend eHealth need to:
  • Fill the gaps in regulation creating a clear legal framework
  • Address interoperability and compatibility and foster standardization nationally  and across countries
  • Put in place adequate funding frameworks, and
  • Commission large-scale studies to evaluate impact.