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Updated: Feb 1, 97 |
The AIM background and the 2nd Framework Programme (1987-1991) | |
The result of this planning exercise, confirmed the Commission's view on the priority need for a European wide strategic programme in this domain, bringing together the various categories of actors from the clinical, industrial, scientific and administrative areas of health care. An international team, selected following a Call for Expressions of Interest (Official Journal of the European Communities 02/08/1985 - C194/7), reported on the clinical and infrastructure needs at workshops organised in Brussels in October and December 1986.
There was a strong response from industry, research institutions and health care professionals in all Member States. A Commission document summarised the European status and suggestions for work and it was later published as a book: "Perspective of Information Processing in Medical Applications. Strategic issues, Requirements and options for the European Community. F.H. Roger France and G. Santucci (Editors). Springer-Verlag 1991."
Following these recommendations, in 1987, the Commission prepared a "Proposal for a Council Regulation on a Community Research and Development (RD) Action in the field of Information Technology and Telecommunications applied to health care". This proposal, Advanced Informatics in Medicine (AIM / COM(87)352 final), was adopted by the Commission on the 24 July 1987.
The work to be carried out under the AIM exploratory action was defined by its Workplan which was drawn up by the Commission in consultation with Member States, interested parties in industry and representatives of health care professionals. It was also discussed and revised by the Management Committee.
Following the Council of Ministers adoption of the AIM Exploratory Action, the Commission of the European Communities issued a Call for Tender for the Advanced Informatics in Medicine Exploratory Action, published in the Official Journal of the European Communities C284 of 8th November 1988.
The AIM Workplan was structured as three separate Action Lines. These three Action Lines and their individual actions are strongly inter-related and should contribute together to the convergence of classical health care techniques with advanced IT&T. One fundamental objective of AIM is to facilitate this convergence by concentrating not only on medico-technical problems (Action Line II) but also on the development of a common conceptual framework (Action Line I) and "non-technological" factors (Action Line III).
Over a period of two weeks, a panel of 59 international experts representing the leading edge of health care informatics in Europe convened in Brussels to review the 212 proposals that were submitted in response to the call. A total of 986 European organisations were involved in the proposals, representing the interests of industry, health services and research institutions for the 12 Members States, as well as their links with EFTA countries. The total requested effort was 40.000 man-months and an EC investment of about 200 million ECUSs. The evaluators recommended that the Commission fund 34 of those proposals and listed another 11 for their high quality and relevance to the field. Many other proposals had high scientific merit but could not be funded under the budgetary limits of the Exploratory Action.
| No. of Proposals received | 212 |
| from | 986 European organisations |
| Funds available | 20 Million Ecu |
| Funds requested | 200 Million Ecu |
| Over-subscription | x 10 |
| Final No. of actions funded | 43  |
| % of total of proposals | 20.3% |
Following these technical and managerial evaluation the AIM Management Committee conducted a strategic and political evaluation which resulted in the final approval of 43 projects. These projects proposed to study and develop a range of advanced information and telecommunications technologies to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. They addressed important public health problems such as: cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, renal failure, accidents and emergencies, the problems of the elderly and the handicapped, anaemia and psychiatry. They also addressed important health care management issues: management information systems for in-patient, out-patient and home care, for resource management and health care financing. In order to deal with these problems, they suggested applying advanced I&CT (Information and Communications Technologies), such as integrated broadband communications, knowledge based systems, sensors, picture archiving and communication systems, 3 dimensional imaging and multimedia integration.
Apart from the results of each individual project, one of the main outcome of the Exploratory Action was the emergence of an "AIM community" of more than 3000 persons working together in a field were there was previously no European scale co-ordination. It also had an impact in the Member States themselves, by inciting the various organisations working in the field to prepare a common strategy.
The principle of subsidiarity indicated the timelyness for action at European level, to complement the national initiatives, and to help overcome the fragmentation of the market, the need to strengthen the European industrial competitiveness and the new health and social problems related to the free circulation of people in the EC.
Figure 9: Medical informatics paradigm in Europe in the early 90'.
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As some of the decisions which shape the market are strongly technology dependent, and because of the long time lag from research to implementation (much longer in Europe than in the US or Japan), all interested parties had agreed to collaborate on a European scale in research and development.
Representatives of practically all the European Community and EFTA countries sector actors, which included the medical community, academic institutions, public and private research centres, IT/Telecom and other industries, joined together in the framework of the AIM Exploratory Action in addressing pre-normative and pre-competitive R&D relating to health care in the wider context of completing the Internal Market in 1992.
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