Planning for the Future: The Digitalisation of Health Care

As the second Sciana meeting comes to a close, members of the 2017 group are already exploring their next steps and the projects to be worked on between gatherings. From presenting at the European Health Forum Gastein to taking part in a study tour across the United States, these are just some of the ideas under consideration.

These ideas came about following two and a half days’ discussion in Salzburg, Austria, where 17 experts shared insights from their own experiences and worked together to address some of the shared challenges faced across Europe.

During this programme, talks often took place under the theme of technical innovation, but Saturday’s schedule began on a different note with a conversation on social circumstances and health.

The speaker who led the discussion asked members whether digital tools should solve problems in health or whether a more considerable effort should be placed on improving well-being and fixing the lack of purpose in people’s lives.

Greater wellness can be achieved when one has an optimistic outlook, a sense of control, a sense of purpose, the confidence to deal with problems, a supportive network, and a nurturing family.

Instead of having a “top-down” approach towards health problems, the speaker suggested a greater emphasis should be placed on collaborating with people, instead of pushing services on them they don’t want. The speaker said, “Do what’s right – not what the rules tell you to do.”

There isn’t one solution that will produce a better outcome, however. Issues are interlinked, and many factors have to be considered all at once. The speaker indicated health care professionals were responsible for identifying problems and helping people understand the options available to them.

The potential for innovation in health care remains great. This point was made clear before lunch when members watched two presentations focused on digital health. Big data can be used to create personalised medical care and provide individual solutions.

Trust, however, is an important factor moving forward. There are concerns data will end up in the wrong hands or will negatively affect the treatment of patients. Enabling greater access to data for patients will also require many health institutions to have the infrastructure in place to manage the demand that might follow. These conversations continued after lunch during a panel discussion involving Sciana Senior Ambassadors Sir Harry Burns, Ilona Kickbusch, and Heyo Kroemer.

Kroemer revealed Germany produced at least 0.5 terabytes worth of data per day. This data remains unused in hospital storage rooms. He said the link between health care and IT was more substantial than it ever had been. Members heard that the quantity of health-related data is expected to double every 73 days by 2020. These developments could have significant implications for Germany’s health systems. Members were asked to consider how society can direct these changes moving forward.

Any large-scale abuse of health data is unlikely in the foreseeable future, according to Burns. He said people were slowly starting to gain more control of this information. A topic which might deserve more attention, he suggested, is the use of this data for immediate and common issues, such as delivering services to people who require better access.

Kickbusch said she did not share the same enthusiasm for using data to deliver services. She reminded members a significant amount of trust was required in democratic systems to put this process in place. In many countries around the world, however, this trust is eroding. Kickbusch said people should consider how shock-resistant health systems are and whether they can withstand future crises.

Members will reconvene on Sunday for one final plenary session before they depart. Together they will explore how complex change can be measured and the evidence necessary for politicians to shift the balance of resources from health care towards addressing the social determinants of health.