Health care in the European Union – time to innovate
photo: ©greenbutterfly, stock.adobe.com
Digital health is a win-win situation for all The Covid-19 pandemic has given powerful impetus to the digital transformation of health and care
by Dr Roberto Viola, Director-General, DG Connect, European Commission, Brussels
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igital technologies promise to make the work of medical personnel easier, including during a pandemic. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that data and digital technologies are key for both the EU’s and its Member States’ responses to sudden and severe health threats. Today, health is not only about having good doctors, but also about how the use of data and technology can complement their work, now and in the future. But first of all, we are immensely grateful for the efforts of medical personnel during the Covid-19 crisis, who went beyond their call of duty and saved so many lives while putting their own lives on the line.
Combatting Covid-19 One of the greatest challenges we face today is to identify treatments and develop as quickly as possible safe vaccines against the new coronavirus. For this, the use of large volumes of health data, from electronic health records to digital information on drug molecules, combined with technologies such as artificial intelligence and high performance computing, are proving to be very effective. The race to find safe treatments: In the race to find effective, safe treatments, the EU is a leading contender using its supercomputers to accelerate the search. One example is Exscalate4CoV, an EU-funded project that uses high performance computing to analyse large databases of known molecules, to find candidates to (re-) use against Covid-19. It already has promising first results. The use of data and technology has reduced this search from years to a matter of months. Digitally powered contact tracing: Another tool in combatting pandemics is digitally powered contact tracing. Right now, the Commission and Member States are working together to
develop secure, mobile contact tracing applications and to ensure that such apps work across borders in the EU. 19 apps are currently operational or being developed and an EU gateway will soon be put in place to connect them. Fully anonymised and aggregated mobility data: Furthermore, as physical distancing and mobility restrictions can effectively contribute to save lives, the Commission asked European mobile network operators to share fully anonymised and aggregated mobility data to map mobility patterns to help understand the dynamics of the pandemic. This data can then be used to measure the effectiveness of containment measures and tailor them better to local circumstances. Telehealth technologies: The pandemic has also spurred change in other areas of healthcare. One example is the use of telehealth technologies, which have seen a rapid uptake across the EU. These technologies enable citizens, such as those with chronic conditions, to maintain active contact with doctors while remaining safely in their own homes.
Digital health: from now to the future Before the pandemic, digital technologies were already helping citizens and physicians achieve better health outcomes. They were being used to enhance clinical care (for example in radiology diagnostics or robotic surgery), enable the remote monitoring of patients through health apps, and improve the efficiency of hospital supply chains. Such developments are only the tip of the iceberg – as the accessibility of high-quality health data improves and computer capacities and data connectivity grow, greater improvements are in store. Better accessibility of high-quality health data will better equip physicians to make the right call as regards treating their patients, thus leading to better health outcomes. Better accessi→ Continued on page 20
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