[Special applications in health telematics: electronic prescription/electronic patient file/digital archiving].

Our challenge for the upcoming years is the development and the implementation of telematic applications that allow the exchange of data between different sectors of the health care system by a network system. Although most of the techniques already exist today, our highly administrated health care system makes further developments difficult. The communication process is subject to conventional procedures that have to be agreed upon between the contracting parties. The aim is to implement a common electronic communication platform for the health care system which can be accessed by all users. For this purpose, the implementation of electronic prescriptions (digital transmission of data that are up to now communicated from the physicians' office to the pharmacy in paper form) and of electronic patient files (structured documentations of findings according to standards agreed upon between the contracting parties) are of fundamental importance.