The Albanian Electronic Health Record

Abstract. The issue of Electronic Health Records interoperability can be seen as very important at the beginning of conception or as an emergency associated with high impact in quality of care, and costs if left to be solved at an advanced stage of the process. This paper tends to analyze the Albanian situation in EHR interoperability and identify the major deficiencies. This case is complicated even more from the country population structure and emigration. A large part of population is living and working in western European countries bringing the question of their electronic records interoperability. The solution offered from us is the seeking of collaboration in the right moment to prevent latter crisis for the Albanian health information system and also for the countries hosting this emigrants. Furthermore, the process of integration in the European Community seeks a very strict collaboration; because of the coming few years full of integrative processes.

Keywords. Electronic Health Record, Interoperability, Emigration, Collaboration, Developing, Integration.

Introduction

Albania’s current demographic profile is characterized by three main phenomena: large internal and external migratory waves, improving mortality rates and declining fertility rates. The population’s age structure has changed significantly over years 1990-2000’s onwards.

The population below 15 years of age structure is now decreasing and the population over 65 years is growing faster than the rest of the adult population. Though population growth and fertility rates have been falling, Albania still has one of the highest fertility rates and the youngest population in Europe: the age groups 0-14 years represent 32% of its total population in 2001(1).

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