The European Health Data Space (EHDS) promises that key patient information will be available across the EU. The stumbling block, however, remains motivating providers to record high-quality data and eliminate paper duplicates without compromising security. Deadlines are also on the horizon: patient summaries and ePrescriptions by 2029, broader clinical datasets by 2031.
Entries in eHealth: between obligation and motivation
Legislation already requires keeping records in eHealth, and health insurers condition payments on recording. Practice shows that the mandate alone is not enough, and the internal motivation of doctors is also important — meaningful use of data and fewer duplicates. Experts agreed that staff need to be relieved from “doing it on paper and electronically,” otherwise bureaucracy eats up time instead of patients.
The obligation to print and archive paper documentation long term still applies, even though the data already exist digitally. The call to change the legislation is therefore loud: if we want data sharing, they must be uniformly structured and it must not amount to double work. Secure encryption and protection of sensitive data are essential, as health data are extremely valuable.
How medical documentation will flow across borders
The Czech Republic already operates a national contact point and routinely exchanges ePrescriptions with some countries, such as Croatia and Poland; cooperation with Slovakia is being prepared. Slovakia, according to experts, has a more robust national infrastructure, while the Czech Republic faces the challenge of decentralized data at providers. The goal is clear: to send data of good quality and in comparable structures, otherwise a “data mess” looms.
By 2029, patient summaries and data on prescriptions and dispensing of medicines are to flow between EU states; by 2031, laboratory results, screenings, and reports from hospitalizations will be added. A patient summary includes, for example, medications taken and allergies, and can save examinations and money, especially when treated abroad. A strong driver can be bottom-up pressure from patients and top-down from insurers: if data are not recorded, the system doesn’t work and the benefits are lost.
Usability, security, and secondary use of data
Success depends on whether the systems are truly usable for healthcare professionals. Software vendors must ergonomically embed coded, structured data, otherwise two “worlds” will emerge — one for local practice and another for cross-border data. The ambition is to significantly harmonize semantics and code lists by 2031 so that formats converge toward a single data language.
Access to health data will require a high level of identity verification; mobile solutions can make sign-in easier, but security requirements will remain strict and states must trust each other to protect data. There are no plans for mass digitization of old paper charts; the priority is to reliably populate key structures from now on. For secondary use, bodies will be established in the states to assess applications for anonymized datasets; GDPR rules, dataset catalogs, and time limits will apply, and requests in the public interest may also be rejected if they do not meet the conditions. Alongside the technical work, countries face a major organizational and legislative task to make the rules work at home and across the Union.
