Ireland's Digital Health Reality Check 2025: Trust, Cybersecurity, and Innovation Readiness

September 09, 2025 at 10:45 AM EDT

Black Book Mid Year Update on Irish Health IT Adoption and Vendor Performance

DUBLIN, IE / ACCESS Newswire / September 9, 2025 / Ireland's digital health journey has been defined by both progress and persistent obstacles. For over a decade, adoption of core technologies such as electronic health records (EHRs), patient engagement platforms, and interoperable data systems has trailed European peers. The 2021 ransomware attack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) underscored systemic weaknesses in cybersecurity and accelerated calls for reform.

Over the last 12 months, momentum has grown. The HSE Digital Roadmap and the launch of the HSE Health App have signaled a more patient-centric vision of healthcare, with expanded access to digital services. Clinicians report greater confidence in artificial intelligence, and demand for innovation is at an all-time high. Yet gaps remain-in cybersecurity preparedness, patient trust, and equitable access for rural and aging populations.

Black Book Research surveyed 422 Irish clinicians, IT leaders, and patients to benchmark current digital health adoption, vendor performance, and readiness for transformation. The findings highlight both progress made in 2025 and critical challenges that still need urgent attention.

Key Q3 2025 Findings

Cybersecurity: Awareness High, Readiness Low
Four years after the ransomware crisis, 87% of Irish IT leaders now classify cybersecurity as a patient safety issue. Yet only 29% rate their organizations as well-prepared for the next major incident.

AI: Clinicians Surge Ahead, Public Trust Stalls
Clinician confidence in AI tools has climbed to 72% in Ireland (up from under 50% in 2024). But 84% of patients still say they do not trust algorithm-driven decision-making, exposing a widening trust gap.

Digital Access: Rural Divide Persists
Despite national app deployment, 73% of rural Ireland patients report difficulty accessing digital services, compared with 18% in urban centers.

Innovation Appetite vs. Resource Reality
81% of Irish clinicians want faster adoption of new technologies, but 59% doubt that resources: budget, workforce, infrastructure, are sufficient to deliver innovation equitably.

Standout Vendors in Ireland (Q3 2025)

Based on Black Book's 18 KPI vendor satisfaction model, the following companies were identified by Irish healthcare users as top performers driving transformation:

Dedalus - Top performer in enterprise EHR and interoperability leadership, with strong Irish deployments based on open standards (FHIR, HL7).

Orion Health - Highest satisfaction for population health management and interoperability, enabling cross-system data sharing in Ireland.

InterSystems - Leading in health data platform performance and reliability, widely used for integration across Irish hospitals and health services.

Optum - Recognized for payer IT and analytics innovation, with Ireland serving as a major operations hub for development and support.

DMF Systems - Irish-founded vendor leading in digital patient flow and outpatient management, addressing local workflow and access challenges.

Novari Health - High satisfaction in patient pathway management and wait-list analytics, supporting equitable care delivery across regions.

SilverCloud by Amwell - Dublin-born pioneer in digital mental health platforms, extending access to behavioral health services nationwide.

"Ireland is making tangible progress in digital health, but the gaps are still real," said Doug Brown, Managing Partner at Black Book Research. "Clinicians are leaning into innovation faster than ever before, but patients remain cautious, cybersecurity readiness is patchy, and rural communities risk being left behind. The vendors achieving the highest satisfaction are those delivering on interoperability, usability, and equitable access, areas where Ireland's health system most needs progress."

About Black Book Research

Black Book™, founded in 2002, is an independent global research and consulting firm specializing in healthcare IT, services, and capital equipment user satisfaction. With a database of over three million validated survey inputs, Black Book evaluates vendors across 18 universal KPIs and 18 category-specific KPIs, far beyond traditional single-score benchmarks and NPS replies. Its vendor-agnostic, globally recognized reports guide providers, payers, investors, and policymakers in critical technology and service decisions. Black Book offers industry stakeholders multiple gratis deep dive research reports particularly on international digital health at www.blackbookmarketresearch.com.

Contact Information

Press Office
research@blackbookmarketresearch.com
8008637590