How best to harness the potential of technology supporting personalised care will be discussed at the Personal Health Systems 2007 European Commission-organised Conference in Brussels on 12-13 of February in the European Parliament. The event will look at deployment opportunities and research challenges in the presence of policy-makers and industry. It aims to stimulate market development and support Member States and regions in deploying eHealth systems and services that enable better care for people in an ageing society.
PHS encourage lifestyles of a choice, enable early diagnosis of diseases and facilitate the provision of personalised care at the point of need, particularly for the remote management of chronic diseases.
These systems can empower citizens to actively participate in disease prevention, treatment follow-up and enjoy a more interactive relationship with healthcare providers.
ICTs has proven to be a powerful tool to improve quality of healthcare to all European citizens, at affordable costs, at a time when healthcare expenditure in Europe is already significant (8.5% of the Gross Domestic Product on average) and rising faster than economic growth itself. PHS can create opportunities for everybody whatever their age to receive the best possible healthcare available.
More than 300 experts representing global industries, health providers and authorities will participate in focused sessions and round table discussions on potential synergies between information and communications technologies (ICTs) and Personal Health Systems (PHS). A technology showcase, which will include live 3-D audiovisual prototypes and technical demonstrations, will show how easy to use wearables and portable devices could make a real difference to monitoring of health conditions.
The two-day conference will focus on ongoing research opportunities and technology developments in Personal Health Systems such as wearable and portable health-monitoring systems and ICT-supported personalised services for extended healthcare, including home care. Participants will discuss new challenges that will shape the future of the healthcare industry, such as:
- The contributions of micro-nano systems towards personalised healthcare
- Interoperability between homecare and clinical settings
- The ageing society organisational, financing and policy issues
- Ambient Assisted Living Programmes
- Market developments and industry commitments in the PHS area
Mr Fabio Colasanti, Director General of the Information Society and Media Directorate General (DG INFSO) of the European Commission, will open the conference.
Among the high level speakers, Dr. Roberto Ferrari, President-Elect of the European Society of Cardiology, will give a keynote speech on "The impact of Personal Health Systems on Cardiovascular Diseases" and Mr. Yves Masson, Chairman and CEO of AXA Assistance on "The role of technology in the development of health assistance services".
Finally, the conference will provide information and a networking opportunity for those interested in the upcoming Call 1 of the 7th Framework Programme, which will focus on a new generation of Personal Health Systems.
Regular news updates and video-web streaming of the conference:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/phs_2007
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