Benchmarking of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Health Systems

Improving access to health services, quality of care, and health system productivity through the use of health-related information and communications technologies (ICTs) has become a common goal across OECD countries.  But how are OECD countries progressing towards this goal? How effective are governments’ actions in promoting adoption and use of ICTs?

This project provides a basis for addressing these twin questions. Co- sponsored by the US Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Commonwealth Fund, the aims of this project are to:

• produce an update on relevant monitoring activities in OECD countries and specifically on national questionnaires and surveys which are referenced by policy makers for monitoring/benchmarking purposes;
• assess whether and how OECD countries measure effective use of ICTs in support of health system performance improvement (for example, the measurement strategies for ‘meaningful or purposeful use’ of  ICTs);
• discuss and produce a summary of the terminology, definitions and  indicators used to date;
• consider questions/issues that can guide practical implementation of an international (model) survey in OECD countries
   
  

The longer-term intent is to establish a robust measurement framework with cross-national measures that would be collected and published on an on-going basis through the OECD.

An Expert Group representing 30 countries, including India, Brazil, and Egypt, the European Commission, the World Health Organisation and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee has been established to provide input and supervise this activity. An international workshop will be held in Paris on January 30-31, 2012. View the agenda.

This work is carried out by Elettra Ronchi (OECD) in close cooperation with Dr Ashish Jha of Harvard University School of Public Health.

This project builds upon previous work of the OECD on case studies of the use of ICTs in the health sector.

For further reading, see the OECD Observer article E-ffective healthcare (©OECD Observer, No.278, March 2010).

Publication

Released in June 2010: Improving Health Sector Efficiency: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies, OECD Health Policy Studies, OECD, Paris.

Coming soon

An international workshop will be held on Benchmarking of ICTs in Health Systems in Paris on January 30-31, 2012. View the agenda.

Contact

Ms Elettra Ronchi, elettra.ronchi@oecd.org.

Visit the OECD website to learn more about OECD work on ICT and on health.

Permanent URL: http://www.oecd.org/health/ict