Report on the World Health Organization Global Observatory for eHealth strategic planning workshop, April 2008.

The World Health Organization's Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe) conducted its first strategic workshop at Bellagio, Italy on April 9 to 11, 2008. Supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the workshop brought together a select group of twenty-one eHealth experts from around the globe to help plan for the future of the Observatory. Participants were chosen from all six WHO regions and included a mix of researchers, practitioners, specialist physicians, academics and consultants. Key issues addressed included: how to build a dynamic and cohesive network of National Observatories to improve worldwide eHealth data collection; analysis and reporting; developing Thematic Working Groups in specialist eHealth themes; eHealth assessment frameworks; the development of the research agenda for the second global survey; cultivating partnerships; and governance.