Germany - The Electronic Health Card
With the introduction of the new card approx. 80 million people with statutory and private health insurance, 21,000 pharmacists, 123,000 registered doctors, 65,000 dentists, 2,200 hospitals as well as the private and statutory health insurance providers will be connected to each other. A project on this scale is unique in Europe and represents an enormous technical and organisational challenge. That is why the Electronic Health Card will not be able to do everything from the outset. It will be gradually expanded with new functions. 
Pre-liminary report of the "WHO/European eHealth Consumer Trends Survey"
The aim of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Health (also known as eHealth) is to significantly improve the quality, access and efficacy of healthcare. ICT for Health describes the application of information and communication technologies across the whole range of functions that affect the health sector. The European Commission has been supporting research activities in ICT for Health for almost two decades. This has placed Europe in a leading position in the use of regional health networks, electronic health records in primary care and deployment of health cards. 
The eHealth for Safety study takes a broad look at the information and communication technology (ICT) tools that can lead to higher quality of care, increased patient safety, and better risk management in health services and healthcare in Europe. It does so through a mix of desk research and provision of empirical evidence. It brings together into this mix the views of leading researchers and practitioners from around the globe from a series of high-level discussions and workshops. 
The ICT for Health Unit of Directorate-General Information Society and Media is in the process of drafting a Recommendation which outlines a set of recommended guidelines for good practice on eHealth interoperability. This draft Recommendation is submitted for informal public consultation.