18/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - Supporting innovation and prevention. During a conference organised by Friends of Europe in Brussels on Tuesday 16 November, European Health Commissioner John Dalli reaffirmed the need to support innovation and prevention if only to ensure the survival of healthcare systems in Europe. He above all called for increased use of information technology. “I am determined to work towards the compatibility and interoperability of systems so that we can ensure continuity of care, safety of emergency healthcare and avoid wasting time and resources”, he said, explaining that, in order to achieve this level of interoperability, he planned to create the conditions for greater confidence in e-health applications. This would entail adequate data protection, common rules on what medical reports may contain, and ways to authenticate healthcare personnel who have access to the reports. (O.J./transl.jl)