The Case for eHealth

It has been nearly 40 years since the term "computer" made its first appearance in a Medline abstract. Telemedicine was invented shortly thereafter by space and military researchers, as medical informaticists pursued their research separately in university departments.
The Internet seemed to invent patient empowerment and inspired media attention, but dot-com failures dashed our hopes, almost as quickly as they had encouraged them, before and after the turn of the 21st century.
Health systems capture our attention around the world, as they strain to maintain pace with growing demand and limited budget, while eHealth develops quietly behind the scenes.

What is eHealth in Europe?
What significant data has been published?
What has been achieved?
How many healthcare professionals and citizens are involved?
Why should policy makers be impatient to move the eHealth agenda forward?