Conclusions

Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC, has described his discomfort at the muddiness of the broadband debate which has not seemed to progress much beyond the notion that 'broadband is great stuff and we want it now'. However, in health care applications practitioners have a very clear idea about how they would use broadband if it were available at an affordable cost. Indeed, they have shown tremendous adaptability and resilience in making use of restrictive narrowband applications to achieve better health outcomes at a lower cost.

While quantifying potential gains is difficult, results from the implementation of a range of applications suggests that significant benefits are achievable. In a sector that spends 8.5 per cent of GDP a productivity improvement of between 2.5 and 3 per cent, such as that envisaged in the UK, would yield significant economic benefits. Even more difficult to quantify are what is often described as 'social' benefits. While quality of life, and indeed life itself, is given a monetary value in a legal context, the reality is that wider use of technology-enabled health services will result in a reduction in human suffering and better health outcomes.

These productivity gains will remain elusive unless the availability and affordability impasse is overcome for the health sector. Although a range of other impediments has been outlined in this paper, they are, for the most part, solvable.