E‑Health represents a modern way of providing healthcare using digital technologies.
Its introduction is particularly beneficial for smaller municipalities, where the availability of doctors in person and the traditional model of care is often insufficient.
The main benefits of e‑Health lie in increased accessibility of healthcare services, reduced costs for transporting patients and staff, and the possibility of more efficient use of municipal budgets.
A key condition here is the availability of high‑speed networks (VHBN), which enable secure and fast data transfer, video consultations and remote patient monitoring.
The most common digital e‑Health services:
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Telemedicine (video consultations with doctors at a distance)
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Remote monitoring of health status using “wearable devices”
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Electronic health documentation and information sharing among healthcare providers
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Remote support of patients by nurses (telenursing)
Benefits:
The introduction of e‑Health brings both direct and indirect savings to municipalities – fewer transfers to hospitals, lower numbers of hospitalisations, more efficient use of healthcare staff and reduced administrative burdens.
The greatest benefit is in the area of comfort and safety of residents, especially seniors and people with limited mobility, who gain better access to healthcare directly from home without the need to solve costly transport of these people to medical facilities.
Obstacles:
The main obstacles include insufficient coverage by high‑speed Internet, low digital literacy of part of the population and initial investment costs in technologies and infrastructure.
Risks also include resistance to change, dependence on suppliers and the need to ensure personal data protection.
These challenges can be addressed through systematic strategic planning, effective use of programmes and tools and education of users.
Experience:
Experience from regions in the Czech Republic (Jihočeský and Karlovarský regions) and from abroad (e.g. Denmark, Estonia, Norway, United Kingdom) shows that digital health services lead to improved quality of care, easier coordination between healthcare and social services.
The key to success is high‑quality digital infrastructure, trustworthy providers and involvement of all relevant actors in the municipality.
Conclusion:
E‑Health, in combination with high‑quality digital infrastructure, brings higher availability and quality of healthcare, savings and improved quality of life for residents.
Success depends on systematic planning, funding and cooperation across municipalities.
Example of a project:
Use of a 5G network for efficient monitoring in the care of users in residential social services
The project of Social Services Šebetov connects 5G infrastructure, telemedicine and smart devices to enable faster assessment of health status, greater safety for clients and more efficient work for staff.
Implementation period: 1.5.2024 - 31.12.2025
Innovative connection of technology and care for clients
The aim of the project is to implement a telemedicine solution with advanced 5G network infrastructure in the residential social service Social Services Šebetov. As part of the project activities, we must carefully select an appropriate supplier of the telemedicine solution who will provide a technologically advanced and user‑friendly system, prepare a feasibility study and carry out the implementation that will ensure smooth integration into the day‑to‑day operation of the facility, monitoring of all steps and of the supplier’s solution, and training of staff, users and their relatives.
Integration of digital technologies into social and healthcare services.