Governance and use of electronic health records in Europe in 2022

As of 2022, 87 percent of European WHO member states reported they had either a national electronic health record (EHR) system, interconnected regional EHRs, or a patient portal. Over 90 percent of countries in Europe had legislation supporting the use of their national EHR system. However, 37 percent reported insufficient funding is the greatest barrier to implementation of EHRs.

Implementation and legislation of EHRs in Europe

As of 2022, almost every country in the European Union had electronic health record legislation. In Southern Europe, 85 percent countries had a national electronic health record system, while it was absent in half of the Northern European countries, although there was the presence of connected regional EHRs. More than 90 percent of the clinicians in the Netherlands and Denmark were using electronic health records.

Exchange of electronic health records

In the majority of the European countries, EHRs were now used routinely in all levels of health care, with 84 percent of the countries implementing it often in primary care. In terms of use, receiving lab test results, and exchanging patient information securely were cited by around two-thirds of health systems in Europe.