Box 3.1How many patients can access their personal medical information through their own digital environment?

Personal health environments are personal digital environments in which patients (or their representatives) have control over their own data. Patients (or their representatives) can collect data from files of different healthcare providers and share these data with other healthcare providers. An EHR can be this environment, if connected nationally, or it can comprise myriad local-based or personal electronic functions. While there is not yet an international indicator set available, several countries do routinely collect data on the state of digital transformation, including the scope of integration and use of EHR (see above) and other personal health environments. Netherlands (Kingdom of the) is one country in which progress is annually assessed by the annual eHealth Monitor, covering use in general practice, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and among patients and the general population (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2022a). Collecting the number of patients in a country who can access personal medical information via personal health environments (ideally by population group, for example, income group, education level) divided by the total number of patients by population would provide valuable insights into the extent of patient control of their data. Patient control over and access to health data and medical information supports a person-centred health system model.