Europe has a formidable foundation in digital health, built on a commitment to harness technology for improved healthcare outcomes. Now, it’s time to elevate Europe to the forefront of 21st-century healthcare leadership.
Digital health – including electronic health records, telemedicine, AI-powered diagnostics and digital therapeutics – is transforming healthcare across the continent. These advancements promise more efficient, equitable and patient-centred systems.
Europe’s competitive edge in digital health is clear. We are home to some of the world’s most progressive initiatives, such as interoperable electronic health records and the European Health Data Space (EHDS). These foster cross-border data exchange and wider access to care. Our research institutions and tech companies are advancing AI diagnostics, personalised medicine and remote monitoring solutions.
This article is part of The Parliament's latest policy report, "Building a healthier Europe."
This ecosystem gives Europe a distinct advantage – our capacity to integrate technology seamlessly into healthcare delivery. It is both our competitive strength and a solid foundation for our innovative biotechnology sector.
But these advantages are only meaningful if we leverage them. We must recognise that Europe’s leadership in digital health can be a defining feature of our healthcare future.
Digital innovations can significantly improve patient care, empowering individuals to take charge of their health through telehealth and remote monitoring, particularly vital in remote or underserved areas. These tools ease pressure on healthcare facilities and enable timely interventions.
This is not to say that we should phase out staff in healthcare. The interaction between staff and patient cannot be replaced by a computer, but digital solutions can free up more time.
Given Europe’s ageing population, we will need to care for more people with fewer resources. To do this, we must swiftly move towards sustainable and value-based care.
Leading in a responsible manner
With innovation comes responsibility. Addressing concerns about data privacy and security is essential for widespread acceptance and adoption. We urgently need harmonised GDPR implementation, alongside clear rules for the secondary use of health data, to power innovation in medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
Robust protections and transparent data governance frameworks are required to build confidence among citizens and health professionals. Having citizens at the centre of our attention is, and must remain, a European trademark.
Europe must go beyond investing in technology to creating conducive regulatory environments. The European Union’s efforts, such as interoperability standards and the EHDS, are steps in the right direction.
Still, we must accelerate efforts to eliminate legal ambiguities and bureaucratic barriers – much like Denmark’s ambitious new plans to leverage AI to free up thousands of hours of public sector work. Removing these hurdles will enable us to unlock the full potential of digital health.
Applying AI in clinical trials will be a key part of regaining Europe’s global leadership in this critical field – boosting patient access to innovative medicines and making it more likely that global investors in biotech will choose the continent.
Looking ahead, the goal is clear: to create a healthcare system that is smarter, more accessible and more human-centred.
We already possess the tools and the talent. What remains is the courage and political will to implement and scale these innovations. Europe has a chance to lead – not just in technology, but in defining a new paradigm of health and care for the 21st century.
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