Black Book Survey of 417 European health IT leaders across nine countries finds "interoperability-first" is now a procurement gate; multilingual localization is driving adoption; and modular modernization is reducing disruption-capabilities increasingly delivered by Europe-headquartered platforms and regional champions
LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / December 31, 2025 / Black Book Market Research today released new European findings from its 2026 State of Global Digital Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Report, including a nine-country survey of 417 healthcare IT leaders showing that Europe's digital health progress is being driven less by headline-grabbing features and more by high-impact fundamentals: EHDS-ready interoperability, localization at scale, and modular modernization strategies that reduce risk to frontline care.
Across Europe, the survey indicates that health systems are converging on a common architecture mandate: build an interoperability fabric that supports shared care and secondary use of health data, deploy localized experiences that match national and regional workflows, and modernize through composable, modular roadmaps rather than disruptive "rip-and-replace" programs.
"These results make one thing clear: Europe's health IT momentum is coming from the hard engineering, not the hype," said Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book Market Research. "Interoperability and consent orchestration are becoming non-negotiable gates under EHDS expectations. Localization is the difference between adoption and abandonment. And modular modernization is how systems protect clinical continuity while upgrading technology. The vendors making the biggest difference are the ones doing the unglamorous work exceptionally well."
Respondents most frequently associated these capabilities with Europe-headquartered platforms and regional champions-including vendors . Examples of Europe-headquartered healthcare IT companies commonly evaluated by European health systems for EHDS-aligned interoperability, localized workflows, and modular modernization include the UK's TPP, System C, and EMIS; France's Cegedim Santé, Maincare, and Softway Medical; Germany's CompuGroup Medical (CGM), NEXUS AG, and Meierhofer; Italy's Dedalus, Engineering, and GPI; Spain's Indra and Savana; Norway's DIPS; Sweden's Cambio and Sectra; Denmark's Systematic; Poland's Comarch and Asseco; and Estonia's Helmes.
Three changes reshaping communities and care delivery across Europe: Survey highlights (n=417):
1) EHDS-ready interoperability is becoming the procurement gate for shared care
European health systems are prioritizing semantic interoperability, API-first exchange, and consent-management as prerequisites for modernization and regional/national shared-care models.
78% said interoperability and consent orchestration (including requirements aligned to EHDS-related initiatives) are now a top-three procurement driver for EHR upgrades and digital platform investments.
64% reported their organizations accelerated API/FHIR modernization in the past 12 months to support cross-enterprise exchange and secondary-use readiness.
55% said improved data sharing has already reduced duplicate testing and manual reconciliation in at least one major service line (e.g., ED-to-inpatient transitions, oncology, maternity, cardiology).
What this means for European communities: fewer repeat procedures, faster referrals, safer transitions of care, and improved continuity for mobile populations within and across borders.
2) Localization at scale is driving adoption-and exposing "one-size-fits-all" failures
Europe's health systems are heterogeneous by design: multi-language populations, regionally governed care models, and country-specific regulatory workflows. The survey indicates that localization is now treated as operational infrastructure.
72% said multilingual workflows and country-specific regulatory fit are now "critical to success" for user adoption-on par with clinical functionality.
53% reported at least one recent program experienced delays or rework due to insufficient localization (language, documentation standards, e-prescribing nuances, reporting obligations, or region-specific workflows).
60% said improvements in localized workflows and patient-facing access have increased clinician or patient uptake more than "new feature releases" alone.
What this means for communities: a more usable digital front door, clearer documentation and discharge continuity, and fewer workarounds that introduce safety and data-quality risk.
3) Modular modernization is replacing "big bang" replacements to protect continuity of care
The survey shows Europe's modernization playbook is shifting toward composable architectures-upgrading core capabilities in sequenced modules to reduce operational disruption.
67% said they prefer modular modernization over full platform replacement when modernizing clinical systems.
58% are currently executing a roadmap that replaces or upgrades systems module-by-module (e.g., patient administration, medication management, eOrders, imaging workflow, analytics layer) rather than through a single cutover event.
52% reported modular modernization has reduced clinical disruption-citing fewer downtime incidents, faster change management, and improved incremental usability compared with prior "big bang" approaches.
What this means for communities: safer transitions during modernization, fewer service disruptions, and more reliable clinical operations during multi-year transformation programs.
Why this matters in 2026
The findings suggest Europe is moving into an implementation phase where success depends on governable data exchange, locally usable workflows, and modernization architectures that protect continuity. This is not simply a technology story; it is a care-access and safety story-because fragmented exchange, poor localization, and disruptive go-lives are among the biggest structural drivers of clinical friction.
Survey and confidence statement (n=417)
Sample: 417 healthcare IT leaders (CIO-level and equivalents, interoperability heads, enterprise architects, digital transformation leaders, and security/governance stakeholders).
Geography: Nine European countries (example set: UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Poland).
Confidence level (illustrative): 95%.
Maximum margin of error:±4.8 percentage points (worst case at p=50%, simple random sample).
Free report download
The full 2026 State of Global Digital Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Report is available as a free download and includes global market data, procurement and governance implications, and regional snapshots.
Download link:
https://blackbookmarketresearch.com/2026-black-book-state-of-global-healthcare-technology
About Black Book Market Research
Black Book Market Research is an independent healthcare technology research and market intelligence firm. Black Book produces annual and interim research on EHR/HIT adoption, vendor performance, interoperability, cybersecurity, AI readiness, and policy-driven market dynamics impacting healthcare systems worldwide. Contact research@blackbookmarketresearch.com More information available at www.blackbookmarketresearch.com
SOURCE: Black Book Research
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/europes-health-it-upgrade-cycle-is-shifting-to-ehds-ready-interoperab-1122578
