10. ICT and electronic medicine

Given the economic and organizational stakes involved, the coordination of care paths with the help of ICTs appears to be the most structuring development in the healthcare system. The development of new communications technologies has provided the impetus for this transformation. New-generation telecommunications networks and the Internet are opening up new ways of accessing medical information and various forms of imaging and health informatics.

Fixed and mobile digital terminals, which can be easily connected to networks, make it possible to envisage the implementation of a health care system for the benefit of all, giving a relatively accurate picture of the state of health of the national population through the judicious collection of statistics. Health service IT resources can ensure overall control of expenditure and improve management economics, while providing...