Is the Portuguese Software Industry Ready for eHealth? An Exploratory Study

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine how is the future being prepared by Portuguese healthcare software industry to access the eHealth global market, which might be relevant to define a successful strategy for this sector in Portugal. A questionnaire was prepared to identify and characterize the Portuguese healthcare software industry. Relevant aspects of this sector were compared with common characteristics of the Portuguese industrial sectors that are successful in the global market. According to the results, Portuguese healthcare software industry exports for countries culturally closed to Portugal, so there is low preparation for the globalization that the eHealth market requires. Moreover, it seems that there is no consistent model of clustering on eHealth products, contrary to what is a common a characteristic of the Portuguese industrial sectors with strong impact in terms of exportation.