Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2025
345. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address concerns related to vendor lock-in and interoperability risks with respect to electronic health records; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70708/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that we are very mindful of the risks associated with 'vendor lock in' when it comes to the implementation of electronic health records. We are seeing a gradual shift in the market towards more open standards but for major vendors they are still operating is a way that makes this challenging. Important regulator developments such as the European Health Data Space and the Health Information Bill will require specific categories of data to conform to standards and for specific interoperability requirements to be met by all EHR vendors for their products to be certified for sale and use in Europe. Additionally, we are starting to see consensus on major interoperability standards emerge, with increased momentum behind adoption globally. For instance FHIR and OpenEHR are gaining real traction now and indeed the National Shared Care Record that the HSE are developing is based on these standards.
As we approach the market for electronic health record systems in 2026, technical specifications that form part of the requirements that get published will need to address this issue. However, experience to date would suggest that this will still represent an ongoing risk if any of the large EHR providers is selected.
Ireland is not facing this challenge alone. We are now very well connected with counterparts internationally so that we can more easily speak with one voice to industry.
