Prepared by The Checkley Group

www.checkley.com.au

Jo-Anna Wood

B.Comm, MA, CHIA

Chair HISA Victoria Committee

WHO Global

Observatory

for eHealth: research

and resources for use in

Australia

HIC 2016

© THE CHECKLEY GROUP 2016

© THE CHECKLEY GROUP 2016

• Outline the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth products and programs

• A brief overview of the resources available

• Outline how we can use this information to better inform our work and policy decisions here in Australia

• How we can incorporate and learn from their research and apply it to our work here

INTRODUCTION

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eHealth @ WHO

• At the 58th World Health Assembly in

Geneva, May 2005, a resolution was

adopted establishing an eHealth

strategy for WHO

• The resolution urged Member States to

plan for appropriate eHealth services

in their countries

• That same year, WHO launched the

Global Observatory for eHealth

(GOe), an initiative dedicated to the

study of eHealth—its evolution and

impact on health

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The 2013 World Health Assembly recognized the

need for health data standardization, and the

importance of proper governance and operation of

health-related global top-level Internet domain

names, including “.health”.

Resolution WHA66.24

The 2005 World Health Assembly resolution

recognized the potential of eHealth to strengthen

health systems and to improve quality, safety and

access to care, and encouraged Member States to

take action to incorporate eHealth.

Resolution WHA58.28

World Health Organization in 1998 recognized the

increasing importance of the Internet and its

potential to impact health

Resolution EB101.R3WHO eHealth definition

“eHealth is the use of information and communication

technologies (ICT) for health”

World Health Assembly - Resolutions on eHealth

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Global Observatory for eHealth

The Global

Observatory

for eHealth

(GOe) is an

initiative

dedicated to

the study of

eHealth—its

evolution

and impact

on health in

countries.

Recognizing

that the field

of eHealth is

rapidly

transforming

the delivery

of health

services and

systems

around the

world, WHO

is playing a

central role

in shaping

and

monitoring

its future,

especially in

low- and

middle-

income

countries.The Observatory’s mission is to improve health by providing Member States with

strategic information and guidance on effective practices and standards in eHealth

Toolkits In country workshops

International Policy Directory Country Atlas

Global Surveys Reports

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• An expert, practical guide, published 2012

• Provides governments, ministries and

stakeholders with a solid foundation and

method for the development of National

eHealth strategies

• Provides advice on developing the eHealth

vision, an action plan and a monitoring and

evaluation framework

WHO National eHealth Strategy Toolkit

Part 1 develops a national eHealth vision that

responds to health and development goals.

Part 2 lays outs an implementation roadmap

that reflects country priorities and the eHealth

context.

Part 3 establishes a plan to monitor

implementation and manage associated risks.

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A vision for national eHealth

• A key element of the Toolkit is a national

eHealth vision.

• Why – this is the strategic context for

eHealth

• What – this is the role eHealth will play in the

achievement of health sector goals

• How – this gives the various eHealth

components that must be in place to realize

the national eHealth vision.

WHO National eHealth Strategy Toolkit

It serves as a high-level

message for policy-makers

that answers the question

of where does our country

want to go with health and

how will eHealth help us

get there?

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WHO National eHealth Strategy Toolkit

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Countries are starting to assess their

strategies against the toolkit, for

example:

Foster, R. (2013). Assessing the development

process of the eHealth strategy for South

Africa against the recommendations of the

WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit..

Journal Of The International Society For

Telemedicine And EHealth, 1(2), 62-72.

WHO National eHealth Strategy Toolkit

Purpose: to establish the extent to which processes followed in the development of the South African eHealth Strategy conform to the recommendations provided in the National eHealth Strategy Toolkit published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2012.

Method: the processes followed in the development of the South African eHealth Strategy are rated against the recommended processes in the toolkit.

Results: Overall, the processes followed in the development of the South African eHealth Strategy conform well to the recommended processes.

Retrieved from http://journals.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/JISfTeH/article/view/36

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• 115/194 Member Country national

eHealth policies or strategies are currently

housed in the directory

• An additional 21 countries have useful

supplementary information about the

state of eHealth in their country

• A useful resource for countries embarking

on developing a national eHealth or

telehealth strategy

• Australia could assess the top 20

strategies and learn from their different

approaches

http://www.who.int/entity/goe/policies/countries/en/index.html

Global eHealth Strategy Directory

eHealth Strategy Evaluation: DENMARK

1b. Description (Score): Y = Yes

N =

No

1. Strongly disagree.

2. Disagree.

3. Neutral.

4. Agree.

5. Strongly agree.

Reviewer's comments

The strategy is owned and

endorsed by key decision

makers.

Y 5

The strategy contains a

strategic vision statement.

Y 5 There is a clear vision statement.

The strategy is easily readable

and understood by diverse

stakeholders.

Y 5

The strategy is accessible to all

stakeholders and interested

parties.

Y 5

The strategy spans a definite

timeframe.

Y 5

The strategy document includes

goals.

Y 5 There are key short term goals

articulated. In addition there are

five focus areas that each have

targeted goals or “initiatives”.

The strategy includes an action

plan for achieving the goals.

Y 5 The “initiatives” describe the

action plan.

TOTAL 7 Y

0 N

Scored 35

Max is 35

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Global eHealth Strategy Directory

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• A 40,000 word report reviewing the effect

of eHealth and innovation in women and

children’s health, as requested by the UN

• 64/75 countries responded to the survey

(85%)

• Focussed on initiatives to improve women’s

and children’s health through the use of

eHealth

• Published jointly by ITU and WHO in

January 2014

eHealth and innovation in women’s and children’s

health: a baseline review

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• The third global survey on eHealth

conducted by the GOe in 2015 has a

special focus – the use of eHealth in

support of Universal Health Coverage.

• eHealth plays a vital role in supporting

Universal Health Coverage in a variety of

ways relating to cost, access and quality of

services. The survey was undertaken

between April and August 2015 and

represents the most current information

on the use of eHealth in member

countries.

http://www.who.int/goe/data/en/

Global eHealth Survey 2015

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• Atlas showcasing 125 member countries response to the 2015 Global Survey

• The survey was undertaken between April and August 2015 and represents the most current information on the use of eHealth in these countries.

• The Atlas is a useful and unique reference tool for policy makers, eHealth planners and professionals.

• A 64% response rate, which is the highest response rate for any GOe survey to date.

• The survey responses were based on self-reporting by a selected group of eHealth experts for each participating country.

/

eHealth Country Atlas 2015

• 1 eHealth foundations

• 2 Legal frameworks for eHealth

• 3 Telehealth

• 4 Electronic health records

• 5 Use of eLearning in health sciences

• 6 mHealth

• 7 Social media

• 8 Big data

http://www.who.int/goe/publications/atlas_2015/en

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© THE CHECKLEY GROUP 2016

eHealth Country Atlas 2015

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Global eHealth Report 2016

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Global

eHealth

Report

2016

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• A repository of projects jointly managed and

funded by WHO and ITU

• Initially the focus was on projects related to

women and children’s health

• Recently updated to include 120 new

projects from around the world –

predominantly lower and middle income

countries (LMIC)

• Inclusion criteria included: must be recent,

not purely commercial, have longevity (no

pilots etc), if no longer running they must

be evaluated, in English, website at

minimum

Global Directory of eHealth Projects Database

• This initiative aims to collect and make available information on validated, operational eHealth projects that demonstrate the effective use of ICT for health

• WHO invite you to submit eHealth projects that are evaluated and supported by government

• Contribution to this resource will make a wealth of eHealth projects visible and enable mutual learning through the sharing of experiences and good practice.

• Your submission will be made available online, once validated, through ITU and WHO websites to a global audience.

http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/ICT-Applications/eHEALTH/Pages/gehealthprojects.aspx

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WHO/ITU eHealth projects database

© THE CHECKLEY GROUP 2016

• Working for WHO can sometimes be

challenging without another language, I’m

working on that! (slowly)

• Australia’s eHealth program is viewed

favourably, and we are seen as an

international leader in eHealth

• UN views eHealth as a key driver to

reduce inequities in health

• Working with WHO has opened my eyes

to opportunities to work in eHealth in

developing countries

SummaryDr Margaret Chan – WHO DG

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OUR APPROACH

Questions?

Jo-Anna Wood Jo-Anna.Wood@checkley.com.au +61421998185