Beyond pilot projects: How Nordic systems are making digital health routine

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The digital transformation in European healthcare is progressing at very different speeds. As the Deutsche Ärzteblatt points out, “other European countries are significantly ahead of Germany in digitizing their healthcare systems. Estonia has had a functional electronic health record for years, and in Finland, the population regularly uses digital health applications. ”

In Finland, patients routinely receive digital medical advice, and health data is stored electronically. One specific example is the EMOM app for gestational diabetes, which combines blood sugar measurement, activity tracking and a digital food diary. Clinical studies have shown that the app can improve fasting blood sugar, increase physical activity, and reduce both pregnancy weight gain and the rate of macrosomic babies, while saving clinical resources. AI is currently being developed to further improve these results.

Estonia's electronic health record, which has been available to all citizens since 2008, requires hospitals and practices using public health insurance to share important information via the system. Emergency personnel can access patients' medical history in real time. The system has been further developed to focus less on free text and more on structured data and supports both healthcare and research.

Countries such as Estonia and Finland show that digitization is successful when robust governance, interoperability, and evidence-based digital tools are a priority. As Germany moves forward with its own digital health strategy, it will be crucial to learn from these pioneers in order to exploit the full potential of digital medicine.