eHEALTH – Future Digital Health in the EU
Venue
Oulu, Finland
Lapland Hotels Oulu
90100 Oulu
Finland
Healthcare systems across Europe are facing similar challenges such as rising costs, increasing multi-morbidity, changing demographics and growing resource gaps (i.e. urban vs. rural, digital divide). Technology-enabled solutions are being developed in new ways, co-created by communities, enterprises or research centres. This offers new ways of receiving and providing healthcare services and leads stakeholders within national and regional healthcare ecosystems to progressively adjust the way they interact with each other, as well as with patients and the public. Such adjustments, however, open issues related to health data management, transparency, patients’ trust, telemedicine deployment or up/re-skilling healthcare professionals.
The ESPON conference on “The Future of e-Health: designing evidence-based policies in the era of data-driven healthcare” aims at raising awareness on the link between the digital transformation of healthcare systems and territorial development, with the objective of inspiring strategic orientations and fostering the integration of the territorial dimension within different policies at all governance levels.
Can policy-makers frame the digital transformation of healthcare systems, the cross-border movement of health services and data in order to achieve regional development objectives? What role does e-Health play in territorial development? How can digital transformation policies contribute to territorial cohesion across Europe, at city, regional and national level? Is interregional collaboration taking place in this field, and how is this impacting regional development?
Together with representatives of the European institutions, policy-makers and relevant stakeholders from the national and regional healthcare ecosystems, the conferences wishes to offer a frame for discussion and provide answers to policy-makers seeking support in the decisions:
- that remove technological and infrastructure obstacles;
- that address the challenges to cross-border movement of health data and prescriptions;
- that embed eHealth solutions in territorial governance and cross-border / transnational cooperation.
The first session on “Transforming Healthcare across the European Unions: policies, practices and visions” aims at discussing the key challenges faced by public authorities when implementing the digital transformation of healthcare value chains and ecosystems. What actions are local and regional authorities taking to deploy reforms? What is the role / scope of the cooperation within departments, between authorities and across borders and Member States? Does this cooperation impact territorial development? Following the presentation of the latest ESPON research results on “e-health – Future Digital Health in the EU”, the second session will look into transnational / cross-border cooperation via platforms, partnerships and agreements on digital infrastructures. The ESPON conference is taking place in Oulu, a city which boasts a well-earned reputation of being a forerunner in digital health technologies located in Finland, one of the three strongest economies in the world in the field of health technology. With the third session, participants will experience a unique occasion to learn about the OuluHealth ecosystem from those who are part of the community are: voices from the field will answer questions on the future of data-driven healthcare promoted by co-creative innovation platforms and ecosystems?
Side events on the 21st of May include a site visit to the Oulu University Hospital Testbed, where health products and services are tested in collaboration between companies and healthcare professionals, as well as a reception with buffet dinner offered by the City of Oulu, during which local companies will showcase the latest medical technologies.
16.00 – Transport to Oulu University Testbed
18.00 – Reception with buffet dinner (City of Oulu)