This document includes reports and summaries of the deliverables produced by the different working groups in the context of the Eurocards Concerted Action. The Eurocards Concerted Action is an Advanced Informatics in Medicine (AIM) Concerted Action on Patient Data Cards created in late 1993 and due to report early in 1995. An extension of Eurocards including two new working groups has been agreed upon to take into account the co-operation between the EU and Canada. All of these documents have been consolidated and validated during a workshop gathering 25 experts from 11 countries. The present document was issued during the Lisbon Health Telematics Conference as a background document of the IV Framework Programme.
It is composed of three main sections: a series of reports compiling the conclusions reached by the working groups of the EUROCARDS Concerted Action and their recommendations concerning the applications of data cards to healthcare systems; a collection of six booklets aimed at decision makers, each of which is a summary of important aspects that need addressing when considering a data card implementation in healthcare; and, finally, summaries of other questions largely developed in the deliverables (a list of which is annexed) or which consist of the work plan of the more recent working group. A glossary giving the definitions of the different terms and concepts used throughout the whole document is included.