HealthManagement, Volume 2 / Issue 1 Spring 2007

The European Commission’s Personal Health Systems (PHS) conference was held at the European Parliament in Brussels on February 12 and 13. The PHS conference focused on finding the best routes to boost the development and deployment of PHS, and the wider field of e-Health systems, in the context of an ageing society. It sought to bring together the viewpoints and perspectives of a wide range of PHS stakeholders: R&D organisations, the medical device industry, healthcare professionals and public administrations of Member States.

 

Sessions were held for two days and were structured around the following key points:

î Consolidation of the results of more than 10 years of research in the PHS field

î Demonstration of the impact of e-Health on healthcare

î Stimulation of market development and assistance to Member States for the deployment of e-Health systems and services Participants touched upon the contributions of micro-nano systems towards personalised healthcare, the best practices for remote and personalised care, the interoperability between homecare and clinical settings, as well as issues related to the ageing society (organisational, financing and policy issues) and the Ambient Assisted Living Programmes.

 

PHS can empower citizens to actively participate not only in disease prevention, but also in treatment follow-up, and enable them to enjoy a more interactive and meaningful relationship with healthcare providers.

 

In order to familiarise participants with current achievements in the field of PHS, a two-day exhibition was organised as part of the conference. Showcasing their solutions and approaches were leading organisations, among them Philips, Ericsson GmbH, Goodit Ltd., Intellect UK, Med-e- Tel, T-Systems, RGB Medical Devices SA and Toumaz Technology Ltd.

 

It has been estimated that the impact of e-Health is going to grow significantly in the coming years. To receive the highest quality of care in the future, it is essential to change the way healthcare is performed and managed. Nonetheless, the question still remains: How can e-Health, Telemedicine or Telehealth improve the delivery of care with a continuously ageing population? (CC)

 

For more information on PHS 2007, please visit

ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/phs_2007/

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