Collaborating for Digital Health and Care in Europe

During this final Symposium session, speakers thought ahead to what  digital health and care policy and implementation priorities will look like in 25 years’ time. This closing session drew on the insights of experienced leaders from the European Commission, regional governments, and industry. They gazed into their crystal balls to offer the audience their thoughts on  what the future holds in the world of digital health. 

As moderator, former EHTEL President, John Crawford built a bridge between the previous session on AI and digital health technologies to launch this, last, forward-looking session.

🗣️ Speakers

► Session introduction

John Crawford, Digital Health Advisor and Managing Director, CrawfordWorks, United Kingdom

John first introduced the panellists and himself. Looking 25 years ahead into the future of digital health, John offered two warnings: “Be very careful!” and “Some predictions can be premature”. Among the inaccuracies in past predictions about the use of computers – from 1949, 1977, and 1981 – were their eventual weight, location, and memory availability. One hundred years ago in 1924, a USA-based edition of the “Radio News” foresaw the future existence of telemedicine through a Radio Doctor: the magazine’s front cover includes an in-bed child who sticks out his tongue for examination by an online general practitioner. The 1990s saw e.g., the development of the World-Wide Web, online bookstores, different types of software, advances in AI, and web searches. In terms of dangers and risks, the major preoccupation 25 years ago, in 1999, was with the so-called Millenium Bug (concern that computer software would fail when the end-of-millenium date flicked over to 01/01/2000). Over the 25-year lifespan of EHTEL, there have also been many developments in core technologies and health and care. These historical insights provided a useful, yet amusing, link to the panellists insights into future policy, healthcare relationships, shifts in prevention, and a set of predictions.

 ► Moderated discussion

Fulvia Raffaelli, Head of Unit 'Digital Health' in DG Santé, European Commission

Saila Rinne, Acting Head of Unit "eHealth, Well-Being and Ageing" in DG CONNECT, European Commission

Dr. Clemens Auer, European Health Forum Gastein, Austria

The Symposium’s last session was a panel discussion. The two keynote speakers from the morning returned to the stage, and were joined by two European Commission officials.

The session focused on three key questions about health and care – all to be supported by technologies:

• How do you see the changing relationship between patients and healthcare professionals? And how will this be supported by policy?
• What kind of shift is likely to occur towards “preventive measures”? In policy terms too?
• In the spirit of prediction, what will be the most important change?

First, among the insights offered on the changing relationship between patients and healthcare professionals were:

• People will have the capacity to live more healthily throughout their lives, accompanied by more portable health data, enabling them to “make the right decisions in the right way at the right time”. The locations where this could take place include workplaces, schools, shops, and places where people eat.
• Both patient-centric and human-centric approaches are ones that need to be grown. In terms of policies, two important aspects were identified: the European Data Strategy and the training of e.g., doctors/healthcare professionals and patients.
• An alert was sounded: it was the potential future willingness of citizens/patients to take legal action/get involved in litigation against healthcare providers (if and when it proves impossible for them to use their individual or collective rights on the digital use of their health data).

Second, in terms of the shift towards prevention:

• “In general, there is a lot still to be done.” Examples included: the content of the mission letters of the European commissioners working around health and care; the responsibilities of individual European Member States; the importance of patient associations; and the reminder that action “starts with each one of us, at the end of the day”.
• The “ecology” of health was emphasised as an important area. Many other players than healthcare systems were mentioned as influential: e.g., the potential harm caused by such industries as the food, beverage, chemical, and water industries. Regulation was encouraged.
• “When bringing technologies to healthcare, [it’s] the importance of making savings, and saving lives.” Areas of work of importance could include research into e.g., genomics and public health.
• Practically speaking, the appropriate key performance indicators are indeed key. Value-based care is also crucial: “We will get there … even if it’s a long transition.”

Third, in terms of each prediction made, the speakers focused on the need for the systems and technologies to be “functioning” and, indeed, “fully functioning”.

The predictions made were three:

• Digital twins: the importance of in silico simulation/replication of the functioning of organs and organ systems.
• The European Health Data Space: the big change(s) will be in terms of empowerment; proactiveness from a citizen/patient perspective; the use of big data; more massive and more popular use of data; and a new industry which will provide a step-change in how healthcare is delivered and how people are able to manage their own
• Primary care in European health systems: this aspect of healthcare will be supported by digital services and digitisation to work differently.

To sum up, the Symposium audience was encouraged – in a decade’s time – to look back at these three panel predictions about the most important changes likely to occur from 2024 onwards. 

► How can EHTEL contribute?

Marc Lange, Secretary General, EHTEL

EHTEL encourages its community of members and friends to assess – in 2034 – the importance of these three trends, raised during the panel, and determine how they will have been implemented.

***

To round up the many diverse views exchanged at the Symposium, here is a short video on what Symposium speakers and panellist think is the one thing we should act on now in digital health.Of key importance for many is the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).