Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen bei der Einführung des elektronischen Patientendossiers: Erfahrungen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum

RESEARCH QUESTION: Switzerland is in the process of implementing the law on electronic health records (EPD), which came into force in April 2017. The aim is to provide Swiss citizens with electronic access to their health data from 2020 onward. Other countries have already begun
to digitise patient data across institutions. Even though healthcare systems are country-specific, these countries gained experiences during the implementation phase. This article examines what other countries experienced and derives opportunities and challenges for this phase.

METHODS: For this purpose, the (planned) approach in Switzerland and comparable projects in Germany (eGK) and Austria (ELGA) were examined based on expert interviews and an analysis of documents.

RESULTS: The cross-country analysis reveals that progress in adopting electronic health records can depend on the number of obligated healthcare providers, financial incentives, the form of government communication and the attitude of the population towards the system. Along these dimensions, the article suggests opportunities and
challenges for the implementation of the EPD in Switzerland.