Telemedicine and eHealth in Norway: administration and delivery of services

This article reviews the situation in Norway concerning the administration and delivery of telemedicine and eHealth.

By introducing the Norwegian hospital reform implemented in January 2002, the review provides the background allowing to understand the shift in strategy within this field in Norway. It also provides a historical context regarding the use and development of telemedicine in Norway. Since the implementation of the hospital reform, it can be argued that, presently, there has been a significant change in strategy from what can be described as a "muddling through"-strategy to a more rational approach, based on common and clearly defined goals.

The hospital reform can be regarded as an important crossroads for the use of information and communication technology in Norway. The hypothesis put forward is that the development since the reform was implemented has strengthened both the willingness and the ability to make rational choices and take important steps forwards regarding the use of information and communication technology in the health sector in Norway, when discussing both telemedicine and eHealth.