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The Future of Mobile Health in Europe

Dates: 
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Target: 
Large audience
Event Type: 
Workshop
Organiser: 
EU
Country: 
Belgium
City: 
Brussels
Address: 
Thon Hotel Brussels City Centre, Brussels
Event Description: 

The Future of Mobile Health in Europe
Empowering Citizens Through Technologically Integrated Healthcare

 

According to the International Telecommunication Union, around 7 billion people, or 95% of the global population, live in areas covered by mobile-cellular networks, and 84% are reached by mobile-broadband networks. The resulting proliferation of smartphone technology has opened up a prominent gap in the market for mobile health, or mHealth, defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the “medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices”. The projected global revenue for mHealth applications in 2016 is estimated to be €12.5 billion.

Public expenditure on healthcare and long-term care amounted to 8.7% of European GDP in 2015, and it is projected to rise to 10.6% of GDP by 2060. Mobile health provides an opportunity for healthcare systems to achieve important cost reductions by enhancing an individual patient’s stake in the management of their health, with wellbeing apps encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyles, collectively improving public health. Mobile health devices furthermore allow the user to monitor vital signs, such as heart rate, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and brain activity thereby providing valuable support to healthcare professionals. Through smartphone apps and external portable devices, doctors can monitor chronically ill patients and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

The European Commission has prioritised the development of mHealth in the Digital Single Market strategy, launching a Green Paper and Public Consultation in 2014. In response to concerns over privacy, security and the reliability of information provided by wellbeing apps, the Commission facilitated the design of an industry-led privacy Code of Conduct and set up a working group on mHealth assessment guidelines, aiming to provide a certified quality of data essential to increasing the integration of mHealth technologies into the primary healthcare systems.

Despite these measures, mobile telemedicine remains a grey legal area, with liability for damages arising from the use of mHealth solutions still unclear. Moreover, problems persist in the lack of interoperability between mHealth solutions and EU healthcare systems. This timely symposium will provide a valuable opportunity to assess these challenges and present evidence of mHealth’s potential to transform the way people care for themselves. It will also enable all relevant stakeholders to share and benefit from examples of best practice with experts, practitioners, and policymakers at EU level.


Delegates will:

  • Review the regulatory environment of the mHealth sector
  • Analyse the progress made in the EU legal framework for mHealth and assess the EU Code of conduct on privacy for mHealth apps
  • Explore how to embed mHealth into public healthcare systems
  • Scrutinise the reliability of medical information provided through mHealth apps
  • Explore legal issues surrounding mobile telemedicine, including liability and fair remuneration
  • Consider how to strengthen partnerships between app developers and traditional healthcare companies
  • Present the advantages of effective system interoperability


For further details, please refer to the enclosed event abstract and programme. Do feel free to circulate this information to relevant colleagues within your organisation.

In the meantime, to ensure your organisation is represented, please book online or complete and return the registration form at your earliest convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).

Conference Team
Public Policy Exchange
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3137 8630
Fax: +44 (0) 20 3137 1459

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