n one card …
Most of us already have one in our wallets: the electronic health card. It stores our insurance master data. Since 2019, emergency information and a medication plan have also been stored on this card. Electronic prescriptions and other health data are potential further inclusions for the future. Since 2019, Deutsche Telekom has been offering medical staff a starter package for outpatient and inpatient care. It enables them to connect to the nationwide IT infrastructure for the health card. The complete package contains everything a practice or hospital needs for a secure connection to the infrastructure. In 2019, telemedicine applications for aftercare of stroke patients were also connected to the telematics infrastructure for the first time. All products are subject to the rigorous review of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) or approval from gematik (Gesellschaft für Telematikanwendungen der Gesundheitskarte mbH), a company dealing with the application of telematics in the public health system.
No chance of drugs interacting with one another
Anyone who has to regularly take different medicines will already know that doctors and pharmacists must always know exactly which medication is being taken in order to avoid dangerous interaction. Since July 2020, medical practices and pharmacies have been able to create and edit an electronic medication plan on the patient’s electronic health card for those who are on three or more different kinds of medication and give their permission for such a plan. The aim of the electronic medication plan is to provide more security. To exchange the digital data securely, the hospitals, practices, and pharmacies are connected to a central telematics infrastructure. Connectors coordinate and encrypt the communication and ensure a secure transmission of the sensitive patient information. “gematik”, a company controlled by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health, is responsible for establishing the new, digital structures in the healthcare sector. Deutsche Telekom’s iMedOne® hospital information system also includes a function for the electronic medication plan. gematik has assessed this function and confirmed that iMedOne® is one of the first hospital information systems in Germany that complies with the interface for the telematics infrastructure.
“Comprehensive digital access to patient information while complying with the strict health data protection regulations is the basic prerequisite for the digitalization of the healthcare system.” Dirk Hoffmann – product owner of the electronic medication plan at Deutsche Telekom
Our commitment to research
Not knowing where you are or no longer being able to find your way to the baker’s is a fate suffered by many people with dementia. We developed the Sea Hero Quest video game to help with dementia research by collecting anonymous data relating to spatial orientation. The game recorded players’ navigation behavior as they negotiated virtual swamps and arctic ice floes. During the project, which ran from 2016 to 2019, over 4.3 million people worldwide clocked up a total of more than 117 years of playing time. This collected more research data than would ever have been possible using conventional methods.
The all-important web
To encourage dialog about digital ethics in society, we have founded the Forum for Digital Ethics in Berlin – a platform for the general public
and experts from the worlds of science, business, and politics to talk about digital
responsibility. The forum includes activities such as workshops for students and senior
citizens. There is also a hands-on exhibition explaining AI in a way that is clear and easy to
In 2018, we were one of the first companies in the world to set our own guidelines for the ethical use of AI. They provide clear guidance for our developers and designers, but also our suppliers and partners. You can find out more about AI here.
Digital health programs at Deutsche Telekom
In addition to developing solutions for medical practices and hospitals, we also offer Deutsche Telekom staff dig