eHealth Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Abstract
Background: Many governments have started to develop action plans to guide the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in different sectors of society. However, little is known about the the best way to identify and appraise such plans.
Objective: This study aimed to create a systematic approach to the comprehensive assessment of the state of national eHealth policy in LAC, by examining the extent to which countries in the region have developed a national ICT and eHealth policy, and exploring the priorities and strategies set within existing documents.
Methods: We conducted a structured review of the literature to identify documents that described a national ICT or eHealth policy in countries in the LAC region. Three complementary approaches were used to locate eligible documents: Bibliographic academic databases; the World Wide Web; and direct contact with government agencies. We analysed the retrieved eHealth policies using content analysis that incorporated both a data-driven inductive approach and a deductive application of variables obtained from eHealth policy-related frameworks.
Results: In total, 19 of 33 LAC countries (57%) were found to have a national ICT policy and seven (21%) had a national eHealth policy. Five of the countries that had an eHealth policy also had an ICT policy and 12 countries did not have either. Nine themes and 26 sub-themes were identified from the retrieved eHealth policies. While the government was involved in the development of all eHealth policies, there was little to no inclusion of citizens and other stakeholders, such as patient groups or hardware/software companies, in the process. The most common guiding principles referred to quality, efficiency or efficacy of health services and information (85.7%), followed by equity and universal access to health care (71.4%). The eHealth policies showed a wide spectrum of aims and priorities, focusing mainly on: funding; governance; infrastructure; interoperability; monitoring and evaluation; and the establishment of partnerships. Although most countries included strategies to provide health information and education services to citizens, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders, only Mexico included a description of how content would be adapted to local and relevant languages. However, most countries stated the need to engage citizens in their health care and for example, the chilean policy planned to develop a unique electronic health record system accessible to patients; a patient-centred online platform with health promotion activities, online communities, appointment scheduling and online assistance among other activities; and self-diagnosis kiosks.
Conclusions: There has been considerable progress in the development of ICT policies in the LAC region, but less so for eHealth policies specifically. The results from this study suggest that while countries in the region may differ in their approach to the introduction of ICTs to the health sector, many of them share priorities and aims, which could be addressed in a coordinated fashion. The establishment of synergies, for instance through international agreements, could support the efficient development and advancement of eHealth policies in the region.
Objective: This study aimed to create a systematic approach to the comprehensive assessment of the state of national eHealth policy in LAC, by examining the extent to which countries in the region have developed a national ICT and eHealth policy, and exploring the priorities and strategies set within existing documents.
Methods: We conducted a structured review of the literature to identify documents that described a national ICT or eHealth policy in countries in the LAC region. Three complementary approaches were used to locate eligible documents: Bibliographic academic databases; the World Wide Web; and direct contact with government agencies. We analysed the retrieved eHealth policies using content analysis that incorporated both a data-driven inductive approach and a deductive application of variables obtained from eHealth policy-related frameworks.
Results: In total, 19 of 33 LAC countries (57%) were found to have a national ICT policy and seven (21%) had a national eHealth policy. Five of the countries that had an eHealth policy also had an ICT policy and 12 countries did not have either. Nine themes and 26 sub-themes were identified from the retrieved eHealth policies. While the government was involved in the development of all eHealth policies, there was little to no inclusion of citizens and other stakeholders, such as patient groups or hardware/software companies, in the process. The most common guiding principles referred to quality, efficiency or efficacy of health services and information (85.7%), followed by equity and universal access to health care (71.4%). The eHealth policies showed a wide spectrum of aims and priorities, focusing mainly on: funding; governance; infrastructure; interoperability; monitoring and evaluation; and the establishment of partnerships. Although most countries included strategies to provide health information and education services to citizens, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders, only Mexico included a description of how content would be adapted to local and relevant languages. However, most countries stated the need to engage citizens in their health care and for example, the chilean policy planned to develop a unique electronic health record system accessible to patients; a patient-centred online platform with health promotion activities, online communities, appointment scheduling and online assistance among other activities; and self-diagnosis kiosks.
Conclusions: There has been considerable progress in the development of ICT policies in the LAC region, but less so for eHealth policies specifically. The results from this study suggest that while countries in the region may differ in their approach to the introduction of ICTs to the health sector, many of them share priorities and aims, which could be addressed in a coordinated fashion. The establishment of synergies, for instance through international agreements, could support the efficient development and advancement of eHealth policies in the region.
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