A report published by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies has indicated a need to improve personalised medicine offerings by introducing new roles, in-depth training on the latest technology, effective use of data, and investment in infrastructure.

For many years, the narrative has been that personalised medicine has the “potential to revolutionise the way care is delivered.” However, to fulfil this promise, there needs to be a bigger focus on infrastructural and operational conditions, evidence generation, and funding.

According to the WHO, frequent alignment of the regulatory landscape and social and ethical considerations are also crucial to advancing precision medicine. The report emphasised significant investment in biobanks, next-generation sequencing, and electronic health records (EHRs).

The WHO stated that limited success in exploiting existing datasets is hindering progress for personalised medicine. More in-depth knowledge and broader understanding of personalised medicine from healthcare professionals and patients could help tackle this.

From an infrastructure standpoint, the WHO highlighted the importance of high-quality and interoperable EHR systems to support the delivery of personalised approaches and research in this field. Although clinical decision support tools can integrate patient data to deliver personalised treatment recommendations, incorporating genomic testing results into existing EHR systems is still an emerging capability.

With person-centredness as one of the core values of precision medicine, the WHO suggested that training programs covering topics like genomics, digital health, data management, and ethics will equip clinicians with essential skills. Furthermore, a focus on precision medicine has created a demand for experts in big data and bioinformatics.

Finally, the report concluded with an update on the EU’s 1+ Million Genomes Initiative launched in 2018. The project seeks to secure access to genomic clinical data across Europe.

26 EU countries have signed a declaration agreeing to implement personalised medicine by developing a European genomic data infrastructure. Integrating into the European Health Data Space is expected to further benefit researchers, healthcare professionals, and citizens in the long run.