[Patient oriented healthcare planning].

Patient orientation has already been taken into account in healthcare planning approaches in Austria by using constantly improved routine health data, though primarily falling in the category of an indirect influence on or improvement of the individual patient-provider interaction. Data bases available in "Österreichische Gesundheitsinformationssystem (ÖGIS)" at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG) have been used for years to both intensify the patient orientation within the needs-based planning framework (designed as "integrated regional healthcare planning", bearing the interactions between the sectors in mind) and to define and monitor the ten "Health Goals Austria". For the next few years, we can expect a further advancement and completion of the database in favour of healthcare planning to support the necessary adaptation and reorganization of the regional healthcare systems, the intensification of healthcare research and subsequently an improved patient orientation in Austria. In general, efforts are being made in Austria to improve the integration of the patient's perspective in the area of health care planning (e.g. by involving patients 'attorneys' or self-help groups). However, these efforts have not yet reached the stage of full implementation (inter alia also because the organizational potential for improvement or the quality of results from the patient's perception could not yet be adequately taken into account). Accordingly, further efforts to this end will be necessary in the upcoming years.