Updated: Sep 17, 97

3.3 Main Findings of the Audit

3.3.1 Scope and structure of the analysis

• Current status of the implementation of telematics applications in the healthcare sector
• Future development of healthcare telematics applications and underlying conditions

The applications audit was geared towards addressing some of the research questions posed by the first issue (although the results will to some extent inform the way in which the project tackles the second main issue). In particular the audit addresses the following research questions specified in the brief:

• How are telematics applications implemented in the Union's member states and regions in terms of types and coverage?
• What kind of applications are most prevalent in the health sector?
• What economic and partnership structures are being used?
• What national or regional factors are encouraging or hindering the use of telematics applications?

The results presented below follow the logic of these research questions. In Section 3.3.2 we present a mainly descriptive analysis of the level and distribution of telematics applications for health care across Europe. This analysis is structured around the following range of indicators:

- number of applications identified
- current status and funding base
- geographical distribution
- users targeted
- partnership arrangements
- technical configurations and applications environment
- scenarios of use

In Section 3.3.3, we use these indicators as 'building blocks' to examine how applications are clustered both sectorally and spatially to provide a more interpretative assessment of the underlying trends shaping the current and future growth of healthcare telematics.

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