EHTEL is eager to support the three thrusts of European activity in the Communication on the digital transformation of health and care (COM(2018) 233):
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Citizens’ secure access to and sharing of health data across borders.
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Better data to advance research, disease prevention and personalised health and care.
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Digital tools for citizen empowerment and person-centred care.
Data – its sharing and handling – is at the Communication’s core, and is an important component of Europe’s Digital Single Market strategy.
The focus of the Task Force is on the third of the Communication’s three key areas of prime concern: Digital tools for citizen empowerment and for person-centred care.
The task force will address two forms of integrated care:
- The horizontal integration of health and care.
- The vertical integration of primary, secondary and home care, and even healthcare and patients.
The task force will explore the effectiveness of current and future digital technologies for enabling and catalysing both of these integrated care pathways, using real life experience. It will also tackle some of the challenges for digitally enabled integrated care such as:
- Digital capacity building for health and care authorities and organisations.
- Identifying and investing in suitable digital technologies.
- Developing digital literacy and skills among health and care staff and citizens.
The task force will focus on support for at least two other initiatives:
- The work of the DigitalHealthEurope coordination and support action (www.digitalhealtheurope.eu).
- Sub-groups in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing action group (B3) on integrated care (www.eiponaha.eu).
What next?
If you’re motivated to contribute to the different aspects work of this re-launched task force, please get in touch with the EHTEL Secretariat!