The e-Health challenge: A driver for the positive transformation of health care in Slovakia?

Information and communication technologies have been designed and introduced into healthcare settings for the most diverse purposes. This has led to the emergence of e-Health as a new paradigm of healthcare organisation and delivery, allowing patients and professionals to interact, share and access health data at a distance. In this article, we present the first results of an investigation aimed at providing a general overview of the current national policies and the present state of e-Health initiatives in the Slovak Republic. The investigation has been based on document analysis and interviews with key informants and stakeholders active in the field of e-Health, telemedicine, and technological innovation in healthcare. We briefly retraced features and purposes of the national policy, in order to underscore the achieved progress and raise awareness of current and future challenges posed by the implementation of these innovative services. The purpose was to highlight the role of e-Health as a driving force for the positive transformation of the Slovak NHS.