The Map of Trends goes over the developments in ICT and health in the health and social sector in 2014
3 de February de 2015
The meeting was a success in attendance and also received the collaboration of the leaders of ICT and health in Catalonia. The event was opened by Roser Fernández, Secretary General for Health, Maria Dolors Rusinés, Secretary General of Social Welfare and Family, Miquel Rey, president of the TecnoCampus, and the director of the Foundation, Francesc García Cuyàs.
The role of ICTs today is key in the development and improvement of the social and healthcare sector. Roser Fernández explained how ICTs give "support and solutions" to the "four fundamental objectives" of the health policies, which are: medicine based on prevention and prediction; the model of integrated healthcare and social attention; technologies as an element of proximity and the model of interaction (MANP, APPs,…) and finally; the sustainable and secure public policies.
Maria Dolors Rusinés highlighted the integrating spirit of the meeting and the collaboration of two departments sharing one objective, "to ensure the improvement of personal welfare". This is a mission that can only be achieved "in whole" and by placing "the people at the centre of our policies". You can see the rest of her declarations below:
In this fourth year of the Map of Trends at the TecnoCampus de Mataró, Miquel Rey reflects on how this reveals "the territory’s wager on health, welfare and quality of life, which are undoubtedly the axes of sustainable growth".
Alongside the objective of the ICT and health survey, which is to objectively see the development and use of ICTs in the social and healthcare centres in Catalonia, the presentation of the Map of Trends sought to go over what has been learnt and to identify the tendencies for 2014, while at the same time to gather knowledge for designing the strategy of the Health Plan 2016-2020.
The event is therefore divided into three general blocks: the results of the survey and the TicTrends, the Mobility Master Plan and the mHealth solutions in Catalonia and the Catalan reality on ICTs and non face-to-face assistance. The first two sections can be found summed up in the articles published in this bulletin.
At the table on ICTs and non face-to-face assistance in Catalonia, Jordi Puigneró, the Director General for Telecommunications and the Society of Information, presented the SmartCAT strategy. The aim of this project is “to improve the management of the environment, to create a more participative governance and higher quality of life”. In a reality in which "there are almost as many smartphones as people", Puigneró defended that the integration of ICTs into the management of daily life is necessary.
Montserrat Llavayol, Directress for Attendance Services talked about the benefits that non face-to-face healthcare might suppose for the Catalan health system (detailed in her presentation) and of the "new year’s challenge", which is to recognise "non face-to-face activity in service contracting in this new system."
Manuel del Castillo, Managing Director of the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, explained the motivations of the hospital with respect to the change in strategic plan leading to the creation of the Liquid Hospital, and described the way the non face-to-face healthcare model has transformed the role of the hospital.
In the conclusions, the Mayor of Mataró, Mr. Joan Mora, talked about the role of the councils of Catalonia in the process towards a new model of non face-to-face healthcare, which might be capable of "bringing the hospitals to our homes". One of the objectives he highlighted was "bringing the digital connection capacity into all of our homes".
Mr. Boi Ruiz, Health Minister, highlighted the importance of ICTs and declared that "we must already consider ICTs in terms of care as a structural part of the public healthcare system", and not just as a complementary element.
To finish, Francesc García Cuyàs set out the objectives of the Fundació TicSalut for the coming year, which you can find in this presentation or summed up in this month’s interview, and the will to integrate the Health Plan with the Health Systems Plan.
You will find everything that has to be known about the meeting in this special issue of the bulletin, and can take a look at the articles, interviews, video and link we provide. You can also see the photographs that were taken here and here, and visit the program and details of the survey here.