Data obtained from public sources. Data sent for review to country expert(s), although not all data has been reviewed by country experts.
For questions and feedback write an email to ecan@goeg.at
Last Update: October 17, 2024

MOST COUNTRIES

MANY COUNTRIES

SOME COUNTRIES

FEW COUNTRIES

eHealth

The WHO defines eHealth as « the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health ». It also says that « eHealth is the transfer of health resources and healthcare by electronic means ».

Official definitionDifferent official definitionNot officially definedNot  (frequently) usedNo information available
24
AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, HR, HU, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK		2
CH, CZ		No countries2
FR, LV		1
IE

mHealth

«Mobile health (mHealth) is defined by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Observatory for eHealth as « medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
18
AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, HR, LU, MT, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI		2
FR, IT		6
BG, CZ, HU, NL, LT, SK		1
LV		2
EL, IE

dHealth

The EU defines digital health (dHealth) and care as referring to « tools and services that use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management of health-related issues and to monitor and manage lifestyle-habits that impact health ». [3] The WHO defines digital health as « the field of knowledge and practice associated with the development and use of digital technologies to improve health. Digital health expands the concept of eHealth to include digital consumers, with a wider range of smart-devices and connected equipment. It also encompasses other uses of digital technologies for health such as the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
10
AT, CY, EE, FI, HR, LU, LV, MT, NO, SI		1
RO		11
BE, BG, CH, CZ, EL, ES, LT, NL, PL, PT, SK		6
DE, DK, FR, HU, IT, SE		1
IE

Telehealth

The WHO defines telehealth broader than telemedicine « as it includes computer-assisted telecommunications to support management, surveillance, literature, and access to medical knowledge ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
14
AT, BE, CY, DK, EE, FI, HR, IE, MT, NL, NO, RO, SE, SI		2
FR, PT		8
BG, CH, CZ, ES, HU, IT, PL, SK		4
DE, LT, LU, LV		1
EL

Telemedicine

The EU Commission defines telemedicine as follows (EU Commission definition, COM(2008)689) : « Telemedicine is the provision of health care services, through the use of ICT, in situations where the health professional and the patient (or two health professionals) are not in the same location. It involves the secure transmission of medical data and information, through text, sound, images, or other forms needed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
20
AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, HR, HU, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, NO, RO, SE, SI		4
CY, PL, PT, SK		3
BG, CZ, ES		No countries2
EL, IE

Teleconsultation

PAHO describes teleconsultation (also sometimes referred to as remote consultation or telehealth), as « interactions that happen between a clinician and a patient for the purpose of providing diagnostic or therapeutic advice through electronic means ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
21
AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IT, LT, MT, NL, NO, PT, RO, SE, SI		2
LU, PL		4
BG, CZ, LV, SK		No countries2
EL, IE

Health app

Essén et al. 2022 define health apps as « a computer program or software application (designed to run on a mobile device) intended to be used specifically for managing, maintaining, or improving the health of individual persons, or the delivery of care (ISO (2021), page 5) ».

Official definition
Different official definition
Not officially defined
Not (frequently) used
No information available
13
AT, CY, DK, EE, FI, HR, HU, MT, NL, NO, RO, SE, SI		2
CH, DE		11
AT, CY, DK, EE, FI, HR, HU, MT, NL, NO, RO, SE, SI		No countries2
EL, IE