The Netherlands has come out on top for Europe in a new in-depth healthcare systems study benchmarking countries' readiness for the challenges of the future.

It was placed second only to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which took first place in the global Future Health Index rankings.

By comparison, the UK came in at 9th out of a possible 13, while Germany came 11th and Japan - critiqued harshly for its perceived failure to adopt healthcare technologies - received the lowest average scoring.

The Future Health Index (FHI), which was commissioned by Philips, aims to produce a “snapshot of how healthcare is experienced on both sides of the patient-professional divide” and document how these experiences change over time.

Between February and April this year, the FHI surveyed approximately 200 healthcare professionals (HCPs) and 2,000 patients for every participating country to collate an average, combined score out of 100 for each healthcare system.

Driven by a perceived strength in accessible and integrated care, and a high interest in online interactions and digital information sharing, UAE's health system received an overall index of 65.3 - an almost nine point lead on the report average.

The report showed that more HCPs in the UAE than in any other surveyed country believe that connected care technology is important in improving daily healthy living, with 80% agreeing compared with the 59% 13-country average.

Meanwhile, second in the Index rankings but placing first out of the European countries, the Netherlands' health system was scored at 58.9 out of the possible 100.

The study showed that while both patients and HCPs are confident in the country's access to care across the health continuum, bureaucracy is a barrier to the system's integration, with concerns arising around data privacy and insurance companies.

Rachel Maguire, research director at Health Futures Lab, Institute for the Future, said: “Health leaders recognise the need for a more integrated approach to care that maximises efficiency, improves patient experience and ultimately fosters a healthier population.”