Mission of the Nordic Telemedicine Association

The goal of the Nordic Telemedicine Association (NTA) is to facilitate Nordic co-operation and co-operation between Nordic countries and the rest of the world in the field of telemedicine and telecare, and co-ordinate the arrangements of a Nordic Telemedicine Congress every two years.

Journal

The official journal of NTA is Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare.

Finnish eHealth highlights

Jarmo Reponen, Vicepresident of the Nordic Telemedicine Association

Finnish Society of Telemedicine and  eHealth had its annual conference on the 2nd and 3rd of April, with 200 participants and also international speakers from ESA and Japan. The main topics included EPR systems, usability, citizen approach and practical experiences. Site visits were to Oulu University Hospital, Oulu Primary Health Care Centre and various videoconference providers.

Finntelemedicum (Univ. of Oulu) and National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) published in January 2009 a report: "eHealth of Finland - check point 2008" which gives the most recent national overview. It is
available also via THL website www.thl.fi as a PDF publication. All Finnish Hospitals and over 99% of primary health centres are nowadays using EPR and most of them exchange data electronicly.

Finnish National EPR archive (eArchive) and ePrescription are starting their first pilots before summer holidays, after a half a years delay. A new development manager, Ms Anne Kallio, has started at the Ministry for Welfare and Health.

There will be a comprehensive assessment study called KATRI for the national eArchive and ePrescription implementation.

Even though FInland is officially not part of European Union epSOS-project, there is initiative to start pilot activites of cross-border telemedicine between Sweden and Finland at the valley of Torneå-river.

Jarmo Reponen (FSTeH), April 2009.