REGULATION OF DIGITAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES – (NOT) COVERED UNDER THE DIGITAL SERVICES ACT?

Abstract

The regulation of digital services is currently experiencing significant growth, primarily due to the adoption of new legal regulation at the European Union level, specifically the Digital Services Act. Digital services play a pivotal role in a country's economy by facilitating cross-border trade and enabling entrepreneurs to reach a vast user base, often comprising consumers. Despite their advantages, these services also entail substantial risks, particularly in relation to their widespread and more challenging-to-regulate usage. Alongside their positive impact, they also contribute significantly to the dissemination of illegal and harmful information. In recent years, there has been a notable development and utilization of new electronic information systems within the healthcare sector, accompanied by electronic healthcare services. This connection is not limited to the Covid-19 pandemic but is also a result of the dynamic evolution of information and communication technologies and their potential in healthcare provision. In this paper, the author analyzes the research question regarding which digital healthcare services in the Slovak Republic fall within the scope of the new European legislation. The author examined European regulations, focusing on the types of electronic healthcare services existing in Slovakia. By synthesizing and applying available information and rules to selected electronic healthcare services, the study concludes that the Digital Services Act has only a limited impact on the functioning of these selected digital healthcare services.