HIMSS and WHO to collaborate on digital health

HIMSS and WHO/Europe have signed an agreement to collaborate on digital health, with the entities stating the partnership will allow a more coordinated approach to digital transformation in Europe. HIMSS will provide resources to help WHO/Europe assist more health systems across the continent with their digital transformation efforts under the agreement, including a strategic partnership initiative to engage HIMSS and other key partners in a transatlantic coalition for digital health.

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At COP27, WHO calls for health to be in the center of climate talks

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) takes place these days. Climate talks at COP27 are pivotal to health. In the statement at COP27, the World Health Organization reminded the international community at COP27 that the climate crisis continues to exacerbate health problems and endanger lives. Toward tackling the climate crisis, WHO believes the conference must conclude with progress on mitigation, adaptation, financing, and collaboration. At COP27, the world will have the opportunity to come together and reaffirm their commitment to the 1.5°C Paris Agreement. At COP27, WHO set up an innovative health pavilion. Climate action will be placed at the center of discussions in order to address the health threat posed by climate change. People’s health is already being affected by climate change and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken. “Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease all over the world and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “It is crucial that leaders and decision makers come together at COP27 to put health at the heart of the negotiations.” Full statement by the WHO here

WHO confirms better clinical outcomes of telemedicine

A new study conducted by WHO/Europe and the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Open University of Catalonia (an approved WHO collaborator in digital health) shows that telemedicine technologies have clear benefits in detecting, diagnosing, managing, treating and monitoring chronic diseases in the European region, iSanidad reports (in Spanish). Digital technologies were used to provide essential healthcare services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Telemedicine has already been considered a cost-effective and accessible method of providing high-quality care and reducing overall morbidity and mortality. Over 20,000 studies covering more than 20,000 patients from 53 countries were analyzed to get an overview of telemedicine in Europe and Central Asia. The use of telemedicine resulted in better clinical conclusions and better follow-up by health professionals. As a result, patients will benefit. “We found that the use of digital tools to deliver health services had a clear and significant effect on patients. We see better clinical outcomes, better follow-up by healthcare professionals, and an overall benefit for both patients and healthcare workers”, explains by Dr David Novillo-Ortiz, regional advisor on data and digital health and lead author of the study.

WHO runs first ever digital health hackathon in Ukraine

The first-ever Health Hackathon held by WHO in Lviv, in the west of Ukraine, brought together more than 40 teams of innovators to address patient and doctor challenges. In order to strengthen health systems and functions of public health, digitization is an essential step forward. An unprecedented rush has been made to implement IT solutions in the healthcare sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts of the war. “The future of health is digital. Here we have gathered young minds to be among those who are now shaping it,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in his opening remarks. For 48 hours, students, health care workers, marketers, IT specialists, and activists worked to develop digital solutions that would contribute to Ukrainian health care and meet the needs of patients, doctors, and professional unions in order to contribute to the national health care strategy. Over 30 experts from the health, technology, and business sectors mentored teams to develop digital solutions for five health challenges. “E-health has advanced over the past years, and Ukraine has been developing its IT products in different fields, including health care. We invited participants of the Health Hackathon to contribute by tackling challenges around health promotion, disease prevention, mental health, health workforce support and health-care management,” explained Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.

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Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.