Fundació TIC Salut Social is a public body of the Catalonia Government that works to facilitate digital transformation projects in the field of health care and social welfare. Its vision is to promote the efficiency and sustainability of health and social services through innovative technology, promoting equity, innovation, collaboration, transparency, and knowledge transfer.
For a long time, the Government of Catalonia has advocated for a unified and integrated health and social care model, driven by the Health Plan of Catalonia 2021-2025 and the SISCAT Information Systems Master Plan. These plans emphasize digital transformation, the deployment of AI tools through the development of the AI/Health Plan, collaboration across the health and social sectors, and the development of interoperability frameworks to ensure seamless information exchange among care providers.
Leveraging AI in Catalonia’s healthcare system
One of the priority areas in Catalonia is the promotion of AI, and for this reason, the AI department at FTSS is dedicated to coordinating and executing the actions for the deployment of the the Health/AI Programme, promoted by the Ministry of Health of the Catalan Government. The goal of this program is to create an enabling environment for the implementation of AI solutions within the Catalan Health System, ensuring that these solutions are fully trustworthy: ethical, legal, and robust. This helps reduce inequities, standardize access to innovation, align solutions with global healthcare policies, and promote the transfer of knowledge to the Public Health System.
Recently, we have made an important step in this field with the publication of the article FUTURE-AI: International Consensus Guideline for Trustworthy and Deployable Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare in The BMJ, a document that sets guidelines for the development of trustworthy and deployable AI in the healthcare sector. This article marks a significant advancement in the standardization of practices and principles that will enable the ethical and effective implementation of AI, aligned with the needs of the healthcare system.
Thanks to our extensive experience in other European projects, we have been able to contribute to COMFORTage tasks related to AI governance and Health Technology and Impact Assessment with valuable insights on explainable and trustworthy AI, which is essential to ensure that AI solutions are not only effective but also understandable and safe for healthcare professionals and users.
Integrating Health and Social Care in Catalonia Through Digital Solutions
In Catalonia, driven by the interest in promoting integrated models of health and social care, the Agency for Integrated Social and Health Care (AISS) was created to improve services for people with complex needs by coordinating efforts between the health and social care sectors. The Catalan approach places emphasis on home care, supporting patients in their own environments and enhancing collaboration between both sectors.
In the coming months, our role in COMFORTage will expand with contributions to the development of the project’s community and ecosystem, involving the AISS. The agency will bring its expertise in shaping integrated care policies through digital solutions from a public healthcare system perspective. We also support the dissemination and communication of the project’s results within the Catalan ecosystem.
The Impact of COMFORTage on FTSS
From our perspective, COMFORTage can be a key catalyst for identifying and promoting technologies that facilitate integrated care within the Catalan healthcare system. FTSS, as a main player in the digital transformation of health and social services, will greatly benefit from the solutions COMFORTage offers, which will help improve connectivity and coordination of services—two essential aspects for comprehensive and quality care.
In summary, COMFORTage represents a unique opportunity to advance the digitalization and integration of healthcare and social services. Our expertise and knowledge in explainable and trustworthy artificial intelligence are valuable assets that, combined with our vision of the Catalan ecosystem, have the potential to transform public healthcare toward a more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered model.
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