Background and History Information
In early May 2004, the Irish Presidency – with the support of the European Commission’s Directorate-Generals for the Information Society and for Health and Consumer Protection – hosted a High-Level Conference and Exhibition on ehealth in Cork, Ireland. The theme of the event was "Empowering the Citizen". Early in 2004 the Association launched a task force aimed at giving a voice, in Cork, to Europe’s citizens, with which to express both the hopes and the fears they feel about the ehealth revolution.
The specific aim of the conference and exhibition was to make a major contribution towards demonstrating where Europe currently stands in this fast-evolving and competitive field by identifying the ehealth tools and services for citizens currently available, and illustrating how today and in the years ahead European citizens will benefit from such service provision. Early in 2004 the Association launched a task force aimed at giving a voice, in Cork, to Europe’s citizens, with which to express both the hopes and the fears they feel about the ehealth revolution. Its activities included the production of a position paper and a workshop.
Why a Task Force on Empowering the Citizen?
- eHealth empowers the citizen to own information
- He/she can deliver the information to care providers of his/her choice
- At the same time he/she has more responsibility for his/her own health
- As treatment becomes more transparent, he/she is eligible to decide and choose what is appropriate
- Evidence-based services are paid out of public budgets, the others out of private pockets upon request
