Germany
The HIGHmed consortium is one of the leading projects for the introduction of openEHR in Germany. The aim is the intersectoral, interoperable use of medical data for healthcare and research. Individual hospitals use openEHR to integrate data from different primary systems in order to break down data silos and establish a future-proof, vendor-neutral architecture.
UK
The British National Health Service (NHS) is a major user of openEHR. Various initiatives are using the standard to develop shared care records and improve the interoperability of health data across different regions. One example is the “One London” project, which is building a platform for a universal treatment plan for the entire London region.
Spain
Two regions are relying on openEHR: Madrid with the InfoBANC project for 6.5 million citizens and Catalonia with a health data platform for 7.5 million residents. Both initiatives aim to standardize health data. As an open, flexible, and internationally compatible standard, openEHR combines regional autonomy with national and international interoperability.
Sweden
There is widespread acceptance of openEHR in Sweden. Several regions and institutions, including the renowned Karolinska University Hospital, use the standard for various applications, from electronic patient records to specialized registries such as the Swedish Cancer Registry (INCA). Seven regions in Sweden use openEHR, and Karolinska University Hospital has published a framework with an open approach.
Finland
Finland is pursuing a comprehensive reform of its social and healthcare system, using openEHR as the central data model. The UNA Oy project, a joint development project between public health and social services, plays a key role in this. Some hospitals and regions in Finland are already using openEHR productively or are in the pilot phase.
Norway
Norway has launched pilot projects in several regions using openEHR as the basis for electronic health records (EHRs). These projects aim to create interoperable, patient-centered data platforms. Norway's future strategy could focus on creating an AI-enabled, data-centric infrastructure based on openEHR. This would enable better use of health data for research, prevention, and personalized medicine.
Netherlands
Interest in openEHR is growing steadily in the Netherlands. The RSO Zuid Limburg region, for example, has fully committed to the openEHR standard and is working on establishing a comprehensive digital health platform based on it. The organization openEHR NL plays an active role in promoting and supporting openEHR implementations in the country.
Portugal
The Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (CHUP) has successfully used openEHR during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve clinical documentation and ensure interoperability with existing systems. Portugal's healthcare system is showing increasing interest in open standards to overcome the fragmentation of health data. It plans to switch to a data-centric architecture to enable long-term interoperability and reusability of health data.
Switzerland
The University Hospital Basel has embarked on a transformative journey to become a data-driven hospital by harnessing the power of openEHR. It will introduce a new data platform based on the openEHR standard. In collaboration with OWT and other industry leaders such as Better, Swisscom, and x-tention, the hospital will modernize its data management and interoperability to improve the management, storage, and exchange of health data.
New Zealand
Research projects were conducted at the University of Auckland to investigate the advantages of openEHR in terms of maintainability and interoperability. The company Better uses its medication management system “Better Meds,” which is based on openEHR, in New Zealand.
China
Although the spread of openEHR in China is not yet as advanced as in Europe, there are some notable initiatives. Zhejiang University, for example, has developed the CLEVER clinical data registry based on openEHR. Research has also been conducted on the applicability of openEHR in Chinese hospitals.
USA
openEHR is also gaining importance in the US. It is increasingly recognized as a solution for interoperability and long-term storage of health data. According to a report by Black Book Research, openEHR is considered one of the leading technologies for digital transformation in healthcare. There are individual projects that use a commercial EHR platform to improve interoperability and efficiency in healthcare.
Brazil
In Brazil, openEHR is being used in various public and private healthcare projects to standardize electronic health records and improve data integration in the healthcare system. Brazil is planning a data-centric architecture to avoid data silos, enable AI-enabled, structured healthcare data, and ensure long-term interoperability.
South Africa
In South Africa, openEHR is being implemented in various projects and initiatives to improve the interoperability and quality of health data. The introduction of openEHR requires extensive training for medical staff and IT professionals to ensure that they can use the new systems effectively. Significant investments are being made in technology and infrastructure to enable the migration of existing data formats to an openEHR environment.
Slovenia
The Slovenian national electronic health record (EHR) now stores the health data of 98% of the population in openEHR format. This enables secure access to and exchange of health information for digital health services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this health record was successfully used to improve clinical documentation and ensure interoperability with existing systems.
Estonia
As a pioneer in digital health management, Estonia has established a nationwide electronic health data system based on openEHR. Citizens and medical staff have secure access to complete medical histories. The platform supports semantically interoperable data storage, which facilitates cross-sector care as well as research and public health. Patients can view and control their data—a central element of Estonia's e-governance strategy.