TESTA, a data communication network service supported by DEP, facilitates the cross-border exchange of health data between EU countries in a secure, efficient and interoperable way. Thanks to TESTA, Europeans can benefit from availability of their health data in their country of travel in the same way that they benefit in their country of residence. They can get their medication in another EU country while health professionals can give better care in case of emergency or planned care by accessing the patient's past health records.
Currently, two cross-border electronic health services – facilitating the exchange of ePrescriptions and Patient Summaries - can be offered by participating Member States thanks to the underlying TESTA communication service. Support for further data sets is being added, including original clinical documents, laboratory results and reports, hospital discharge letters, medical images and reports. The services are offered through the MyHealth@EU infrastructure securely connecting National Contact Points for e-health (NCPeHs).
- ePrescription and eDispensation allows EU citizens to obtain their medication in a pharmacy located in another EU country, thanks to the online transfer of their electronic prescriptions.
- Patient Summary provides health professionals with information on important health related aspects of a travelling patient such as allergies, current medication, immunisations, previous illness, surgeries, etc.
Both services convey and translate the respective information into the language relevant in the country of travel.
In the next years, medical images, lab results and hospital discharge reports will also be available across the EU, and further data sets are likely to follow later on.
TESTA is a European backbone network for data exchange between a wide variety of public administrations. It provides guaranteed performance and a high level of security and interoperability. The network is used by EU institutions and agencies, as well as EU countries and organisations acting on their behalf.
MyHealth@EU has been progressively rolled-out in 9 Member States and more are in the process of on-boarding. The following exchanges are already operational:
- Finland: ePrescriptions of outgoing and incoming travellers
- Estonia: ePrescriptions of outgoing and incoming travellers
- Luxembourg: Patient Summaries of incoming travellers
- Czech Republic: Patient Summaries of outgoing and incoming travellers
- Croatia: ePrescriptions and Patient Summaries of outgoing and incoming travellers
- Malta: Patient Summaries of incoming and outgoing travellers
- Portugal: ePrescriptions and Patient Summaries of outgoing and incoming travellers
- Spain: Patient Summaries of outgoing and incoming travellers
- France: Patient Summaries of incoming travellers
The goal is to implement these services in all 27 EU Member States in the next years, with a majority of them joining by 2025. Also EEA Member States may join the system.