Compendium of Health Telematics Projects 94-98 (Draft)
Home Documents Compendium HT Projects 94-98 Updated: Aug 26, 1998 

This is the most recent structured information on this project. Complementary data can be found on previous documents

TELECAT

Symposium and exhibition on Implementation of Information Systems in Healthcare

Project code: SU 1120 HC
Project value: 100.0 KECU
EC contribution: 100.0 KECU
Number of partners: 8
Number of countries: 3
Duration:15 months
Starting date: Jan 1, 97
               
Contact: Pau Ferrer Salvans
Clinical Pharmacology Unit
CSU de Bellvitge
Catalan Institute of Health
8907 Barcelona
Spain

Tel: +34 3 335 76 52 ext.3214 and 32
Fax: +34 3 263 36 16
E-mail: pfefarma@bcn.servicom.es
Web Site:

Overview

The present support action is an immediate consequence of the conclusions of the G7 Ministers Meeting of February 95 on the Implementation of Information Systems in Health Care and of the interest of the Health Care Department of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia in the Implementation of Telematic Applications. The original project included three phases: 1) conceptual preparation and organisation of the Symposium. 2) realisation of the International Consensus Conference, Symposium and Exhibition, and 3) elaboration of the conclusions, diffusion and implementation. This project corresponds to the preparatory phase of the public event described in the title. In view of the available funding after the approval of the project, the corresponding work lines and their scope were centred in those described in the Technical Annexe. To organise a successful symposium on a so precise and difficult topic, like health telematics implementation, it is necessary to have a sound conceptual content, to harmonise the different cultural and sociological perspectives existing in the European countries. Otherwise it would be very difficult to reach conclusions that help to take the decisions supporting i.e. the investments, the technical selection of telematic products, or the adequate education plan to the people that shall implement the applications, among others. The health care of the future Information Society in Europe will be the result of co-ordinated implementation efforts. Telecat represents the previous analysis, and consensus at experts level, on the critical points to overcome for improving the health telematics implementation procedures.

Purpose and objectives

The main objective is to identify the aforementioned critical points that impede the implementation of telematic systems or services in healthcare. The experience shows that there are several gaps among elite applications and the daily routine general use of telematic services in healthcare. Other domains of knowledge benefit much more than healthcare of the advanced development that have reached the telematic systems. It seems worth to detect the reasons of this delay. As the domain of Health Sciences is very wide and the most acute social problems lie around Healthcare, the different aspects of medical applications, including nursing and all related activities, have been considered as a priority to recognise the critical points that impede an ease implementation. Once identified this points they could be used either to constitute a conceptual framework upon which to organise the aforementioned European symposium and exhibition, or to build a set of guidelines that help the end users, industries, decision makers, financers and politicians, to agree on how to optimise the implementation procedures of telematics systems in health care.

Results

The results will be a consensus reached through several steps. The first one comes from the preparation of a set of background reports inside the Telecat Consortium that deal with four main conceptual axis: healthcare specific factors, organisation, industrial, or financial factors. This main axis are further split in a set of critical points that are submitted to the opinion of European experts. The methodology of Delphi inquiry is the selected tool to achieve a consensus among the experts. To assess the results of the inquiry some selected European and national projects are analysed. A final integrative document will summarise the obtained results.

Until now the Telecat project has produced the deliverables DI and DII and before the 30th of Septembre will have in and advanced degree of development the DIII. This means that the TELECAT consortium has produced a set of background reports summarising: a) the methodology of the project, b) the main factors that can influence the healthcare applications, including the patient care and the training and education of health care people in the use of telematics, c) the weight of the organisational framework, d) the financial factors, e) the possible influences of industry, either telematic or pharmaceutical. Lastly the possible role of common basic factors, like f) technological or g) standardisation issues complete the background reports. These documents have been the basis of deep discussions to select accurately those that may have more influence in the praxis, i.e. to concentrate in so few conceptual items as possible. The way how to present them to the experts, and how to build a questionnaire that brings the necessary knowledge, has been also discussed inside the consortium. Several interviews have been carried out with experts outside the consortium to assess the procedure. As a result of the internal discussion and of the interviews it has been produced: a letter to experts, an explanatory document and a questionnaire with twenty questions of several categories each one.

The questionnaire was sent by mail to 300 European experts working in the area of healthcare or telematics. Each one of the 15 countries of the European Union will participate with 20 experts, even though that with the 50% of the sample, would be enough to continue the Delphi survey. The high number of consulted experts for a Delphi survey, has as objective to reach a level of participation that allow comparisons between countries. A second remembering mailing has been also carried out to recruit more participants among the same sample.

In addition to the post mailing the information about TELECAT Project and the Questionnaire have been included in the EHTO web, where it is possible to fulfil the questionnaire through the computer screen via Internet.

Currently the collection and the assessment of the answers is being carried out. The awareness of the TELECAT project among Scientific or Professional Societies has been started. The possibilities of collaboration or the constitution of a specific world wide forum on the implementation of telematic services in healthcare, through the EHTO web, is a possibility being considered. The analysis of selected projects (DIII) is another task currently under development. In addition to the projects foreseen in the technical annex other projects are being analysed, mainly in relationship with the role of pharmaceutical industry.

The participation in the TAP Conference in Barcelona the 4th February 1988 has been foreseen, and the corresponding prolongation of contract without additional funding, from 31st December 1997 until March 1998 has been requested.

List of deliverables

The project foresees five deliverables all for the first year:
Background Reports
First Delphi inquiry
Analysis of selected projects
Second Delphi inquiry
Final integrative document

List of participants

Name: Health Minister Dr. Eduard Rius i Pey
Organisation: Health Care Department of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia
Address: Travessera de les Corts 131-159 Barcelona 08029
Country: SPAIN
Tel: 34 3 227 29 00
Fax: 34 3 227 29 90
Name: Mr. Josep Mañach i Serra
Organisation: Catalan Health Service - Regió Sanitària de la Costa de Ponent Gran Via 8-10
Address: L’Hospitalet del Llobregat 08902 Barcelona
Country: SPAIN
Tel: 34 3 421 32 55
Fax: 34 3 432 14 92
E-mail: jmanyach@rsc.scs.es
Name: Professor Georges G. de Moor
Organisation: RAMIT VZW
Address: de Pintelaan 185 9000 Gent
Country: BELGIUM
Tel: 32 9 24034 36
Fax: 32 9 240 34 39
E-mail: georgesdemoor@rug.ac.be
Name: Professor Antonio Fernández P. de Talens
Organisation: Instituto di Fisiologia Clinica. Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche
Address: Via Paolo Savi 7 56123 Pisa
Country: ITALY
Tel: 39 50 56 27 21
Fax: 39 50 55 34 61
E-mail: antoniof@nsifc.pi.cnr.it
Name: Dr. José Devlies
Organisation: Datasoft Management
Address: Edward Vlietinckstraat 20 8400 Oostende
Country: BELGIUM
Tel: 32 59 50 86 95
Fax: 32 59 80 66 71
E-mail: jdevlies@datasoft.unicall.be
Name: Professor Cristóbal Mezquita Pla
Organisation: Dpt. of Physiology of Medical School University of Barcelona
Address: C/ Casanovas 143 08036 Barcelona
Country: SPAIN
Tel: 34 3 402 45 18
Fax: 34 3 403 52 79
E-mail: mezquita@medicina.ub.es
Website: molgen.med.ub.es
Name: Dr. José Luis Monteagudo Peña
Organisation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Address: C/ Sinesio Delgado 6 28029 Madrid
Country: SPAIN
Tel: +34 1 387 71 00
Fax: +34 1 387 78 96
E-mail: jlm@iscIII.es
Name: Ing. Mr. Ricardo Ruiz de Querol
Organisation: Telefónica Sistemas
Address: Rambla de Catalunya 2-4 08007 Barcelona
Country: SPAIN
Tel: 34 3 318 95 91
E-mail: rrq@ts.es

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