Enabling the digital transformation of health and care

22.11.2018

Question for oral answer O-000126/2018
to the Commission
Rule 128
José Inácio Faria, Carlos Zorrinho, Urszula Krupa, Frédérique Ries, Margrete Auken, Kateřina Konečná, Piernicola Pedicini, Joëlle Mélin, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

The Commission wants to bring about a rapid digital transformation of health and care at European level. In doing so, it proposes a necessary transformation of the current approach to care across Member States.

It wishes to encourage the use and development of digitised media, in the different phases of an integrated vision of healthcare – disease prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment, care and follow-up – while ensuring targeted research and training of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

1. What is the Commission planning to do in order to ensure that healthcare professionals are qualified and equipped with appropriate digital skills? Equally important, how does the Commission intend to help Member States and regions in promoting knowledge and skills of citizens and patients in using digital solutions?

2. How does the Commission intend to give guarantees on the safeguarding of patients’ medical confidentiality and the security and independence of eHealth and mHealth software solutions and connected objects, at each stage of the process?

3. Does the Commission agree that in the course of the changes generated by digital transformation, people must be at the centre of care?

4. What actions does the Commission intend to take to ensure that patients have secure access to their data and access to information on the decision-making process undertaken by healthcare professionals regarding choice of treatment, therapy and care?