Cross-border health care
The project 'European cross border care collaborations short title: CrossEurope' (EUCBCC) examined nine aspects of cross-border health care: quality of health professionals, treatment pathways, the content and scope of medical records, medical prescribing, reporting quality in both health and long-term care, hospital collaboration, telemedicine, dentistry and media reporting. The study also looked at existing cross-border collaborations to identify practical issues and concerns. Researchers used a variety of quantitative and qualitative models to gather information. These included surveys, a Delphi exercise, mystery interviews and focus groups. Experts from 13 partner institutions from 11 countries conducted the research. Findings showed that relatively few patients or those who seek care cross borders for health services. Even well-developed arrangements, such as those for dentists in Hungary serving patients from Hungary and Austria, serve limited numbers of patients. This is also true for French women choosing to give birth in Belgium and tourists receiving dialysis treatment in Italy. Although patient satisfaction was high, lack of data made it difficult to quantify the scale of these events. In contrast, there was significant movement of health professionals across borders. Variability in training standards across countries, however, has been problematic. Variability in guidelines was also identified as a problematic area. For example, although all participating countries have clinical guidelines, there is no systematic process for data collection. As a result, it is difficult to determine how frequently the guidelines are used. An area where processes are working well is patient safety in dispensing of prescriptions. The limited amount of dispensed prescriptions allow pharmacists to find the right one. In other areas, further improvements in the legal framework are needed for cross-border care to take place and to be effective. For instance, for telemedicine to work, legislation and regulation at the EU level are needed. There also should be agreement on minimum data requirements in hospital discharge summaries. This project was the first comprehensive overview of current patient and professional mobility across Europe. Its findings will have a major impact on public policy decisions.
Keywords
Cross-border health care, health care, cross border care, health professionals, treatment pathways, medical, prescribing, long-term care, health services, patient satisfaction, training standards, patient safety, telemedicine, hospital discharge
