Croatia has long been among the least successful EU countries in cancer care: it has high incidence, costs, and mortality. The ENO project – building a National Oncology Network and a National Oncology Database – aims to change this trajectory. The goal is to give physicians precise data for better decision-making and to standardize care pathways.
Why ENO is being created and what it is meant to deliver
A group of respected experts concluded that a strategic intervention in the organization of oncology care is necessary. ENO is to analyze current treatment processes, compare them with national and international guidelines, and provide oncologists with the basis for informed decisions. At the same time, it is to standardize the exchange of documentation and work with structured data.
The expected benefits range from more efficient use of resources to new opportunities to participate in EU initiatives. Crucially, the project targets improvements in clinical outcomes, increased patient survival, and the quality of life of their families. The patient is unequivocally put first.
What are the main components and how will they work
At its core is the oncology information system „O“, intended for oncologists’ day-to-day work. The system integrates with the country’s complex healthcare IT landscape—from hospital information systems to central components such as waiting lists, the electronic patient card, and the healthcare portal. This involves numerous interfaces that must work together flawlessly.
The second pillar is a data warehouse for reporting, advanced analytics, future medical research, and improving treatment. The third part of the project was not specified in detail in the presentation, so the emphasis rests on these technological pillars and on data standardization. The content definition went deeper: from the original 17 + 1 categories, 107 tumor sites and thousands of data items were identified.
Who is working on ENO and when it will reach hospitals
The project is being implemented by a consortium of three companies. Ivia brings the „O“ system, the Macedonian company Sorix covers integrations, and ATOS Evident Croatia has a strong local presence, experience with public and EU-funded projects, and a large team for the data warehouse. It is a combination of know-how intended to ensure both technical and process quality.
The team is currently conducting acceptance tests in the second pilot hospital in Zadar; the first pilot phase is complete and three more hospitals are to follow by the end of the year. From January, the system is to be rolled out in the pilot and gradually in other facilities, in total across 29 hospitals providing oncology care. The biggest challenge is adoption in practice, so that oncologists use the tool daily; a new role of „data administrator“ is therefore also being discussed, which would relieve them of administrative tasks.
