TECHNOLOGY LEAPFROGGING IN EUROPEAN HEALTH SYSTEMS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The 27 Member States of the European Union are highly differentiated by population size, health expenditure, technology access and use, economic profile and demographics. This study builds on earlier digital-divide studies using a ICT and digital health taxonomy that positions countries as frontrunners (quartile 1), followers (quartile 2), leapfroggers (quartile 3), and laggards (quartile 4). The concept of technology leapfrogging is used to analyse the digital divide in Europe’s health systems. Results from multivariate statistical analysis show evidence of technology leapfrogging in some EU countries. However, digital health policy implications show a one-size-fits-all approach to digital health is unlikely to produce optimal outcomes. Rather, EU policy-makers will need to develop nuanced digital health policies which go beyond measuring technical imperatives