The Austrian Federal Government's Disability Concept refers to the need to expand the documentation on appliances with regard to disabled people and to enable all counselling centres to access the data. All data-bases and data-net in relation to the Austrian medical system are currently mapped out.
The agreement on the restructuring of Austria's health-care system and of the financing of hospitals (Art. 15a B-GV) for the years 2001-2004 refers explicitly to the need to lay the foundations for effective and efficient use of IT in the area of healthcare. Intensified use of telematic applications in healthcare services should go hand in hand with intensified efforts towards systemic quality. Positive effects in relation to the quality of healthcare provision and synergetic effects and harmonisation at the national and international level are expected. The need for intensified use of ICT applications is explicitly described in relation to increasing requirements that the healthcare system faces due to the effects of an ageing society.
About 80% of people in need are cared for by family members (Badelt 1995 and 1997). Since a high share of care is provided by family carers, additional information concerning the usefulness of IT applications and their potential for relieving everyday care could be provided. Cost is a crucial factor, especially as there is no general financial support for these kind of applications available. However, supporting family carers has become an important issue in the recent years.
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