Glossary

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: November 26, 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 definition	Different official definition	Not officially defined	Not (frequently) used	No 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 countries	2 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 countries	2 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 countries	2 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 countries	2 EL, IE

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

OUR X

eCAN Joint Action Follow

eCAN aims to provide a framework of recommendations for the integration of telemedicine and teleconsulting in health care systems for cancer prevention and care

eCAN Joint Action @ecan_ja ·

19 Dec

Every great journey has its finale, and eCAN is no exception 👋, but before we close this chapter, we have plenty of exciting insights to share with you all.

All our results are available on our last Newsletter, don't miss it👉 https://ecanja.eu/newsletters/#flipbook-df_5947/1/

#HealthUnion #EU4Health

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eCAN Joint Action @ecan_ja ·

12 Dec

🦺 Challenges and risks of #datasecurity and #privacy 🔐 were addressed in parallel with the implementation of our #cancer pilots.

Check out our guidelines and recommendations! 👇

📄 Full report: https://lnkd.in/dCSGTaKg

#HaDEA #HealthUnion #EU4Health

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eCAN Joint Action @ecan_ja ·

10 Dec

🤔 Do you want to know some of the highlights of the #cancer pilots we've conducted in eCAN?

Check this video!📹

➡️Final clinical study analysis available on our website https://ecanja.eu/?sdm_process_download=1&download_id=5685

#HaDEA #EU4Health #HealthUnion

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eCAN Joint Action @ecan_ja ·

5 Dec

➡️ Our various stakeholder engagement activities have allowed us to identify some gaps and needs for further education in digital health for healthcare professionals 🏥 , patients and caregivers 🩺.

Take them a look!

#HaDEA #EU4Health #HealthUnion

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