Denmark is recognised as one of the leading nations for healthcare and is at the forefront of digital transformation in the sector. As new challenges and opportunities emerge over the next decade this article considers what the core drivers of change may be and explores how developments in the availability and use of more and better patient data may impact the Danish health system. Linking together previous research, a recent related Future Agenda initiative and insights from a number of expert discussions in Copenhagen, it then examines the pivotal issues that will affect healthcare providers in the future and considers how the wider sharing of exemplary data can change delivery models. 

Given the overall dynamics, many conclude that Denmark is one of the most connected, well-funded and healthy nations in the world. The advent of more and better health data should therefore have additional impact. So, what about the future? How will the global changes underway impact and enhance the Danish system? Moreover, what will be the national vs regional response?

A recent global project exploring the Future of Patient data was undertaken by Future Agenda in partnership with leading organisations around the world. Twelve events across many different healthcare systems brought together over 300 experts to debate the primary shifts for the next decade as well as explore their implications. Within this, several shared ambitions in a number of different countries were identified – many of which can already be seen as existing assets of the Danish system: Good quality patient data, common access to it, and means of interacting with both the information and the different communities who form the full care system.

As the first phase of a subsequent series of more regional, national dialogues, in June 2018 additional discussions were undertaken with healthcare experts in Copenhagen to uncover more detail. Hosted by DTU Business, the aim was to both respond to the global context from the Future of Patient Data project and debate what the implications may be for Denmark. In particular, a core objective was to identify what are the primary issues for the Danish healthcare system for the next decade.