As the rapid spread and impact of COVID-19 continue to cripple healthcare sector providers across Europe, telehealth is emerging as a boon in ensuring efficient access to essential healthcare services. Primary care appointments took a major downturn as people avoided them largely until necessary or were unable to have routine face-to-face visits due to the lockdowns and social distancing measures at the beginning of the pandemic. This became difficult for patients with chronic conditions or those requiring acute and urgent care.

Healthcare providers soon turned toward digital health vendors to ensure continuity of care via digital solutions—telehealth—a mix of virtual visits, remote monitoring tools, mHealth, and emergency response systems. Governments across Europe have been quick to react and deploy new reimbursement policies that take into account the new care delivery models. While some countries in Europe have rapidly deployed solutions, others have lagged behind due to the lack of preparedness of their healthcare IT systems.

This report reviews the key factors driving telehealth adoption in Europe. It also assesses the readiness and attractiveness of countries as opportunity areas for telehealth vendors. Europe offers diverse growth opportunities; however, deployment is not easy. This report also examines the regulatory and reimbursement guidelines for telehealth in key European countries.