Telemedicine, Remote Patient Monitoring, and Self-Testing Are the New Healthcare

Barcelona, 10 June, 2020 – The crisis caused by Covid-19 will mark a before and after in the digital transformation of healthcare. Technology is repositioned in service of citizens in domains ranging from the digitalization of the healthcare ecosystem to virtual visits, the use of AI and big date in the prevention of pandemics, supporting decision-making, the development of new drugs, promoting innovation, transparency, and entrepreneurship. These are some of the conclusions from the webinar organized by the global innovation firm Opinno which included the participation of experts from the healthcare sector and the pharmaceutical industry. Barcelona Director Xavier Contijoch shared that “e-health is propelling digital therapy, telemedicine, and intensive data analytics. The matter is knowing how they will contribute to improving our healthcare system and patient care, fostering new ways of working that are more agile and collaborative. 

Digitalization of the Healthcare Ecosystem 
During the webinar, panelists highlighted that, in the short term, digital health will orient toward telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and self-testing that will translate to better attention. The current crisis has brought about the need to maintain continued medical assistance, wherein the only option has been to virtualize it, propelling telemedicine and video consults. The conversation noted that the increase in transparency that will empower patients who will have much more information about their health and thus be able to participate more actively in their care decisions. Panelists anticipate a cultural shift in how citizens understand health and receive healthcare. These experts recognized that the current situation is not just a health crisis, but also a humanitarian, economic, and especially social crisis. They affirmed that the healthcare measures taken now must lay the groundwork of preparedness for the next pandemic. 

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare 
Trust in technology will only be achieved through the creation of an ethical implementation framework. A few projects based on AI came up during the webinar discussion, from the use of bots to address patient consultations, to telemonitoring to manage all of the data and alarms generated by wearable technology, or algorithms that help diagnose skin lesions or facilitate physical examination. One of the primary challenges is ensuring that methodological, ethical, and legal standards are sufficiently and efficiently met. In general terms, AI must help us have a more efficient, sustainable, scalable, and equitable system. Transparency and guaranteed privacy and security of personal data are also necessary, which means that health systems must have a structured organization for the data they handle. 

Telemedicine and Use of Patient Data 
This crisis has brought about the need to virtualize medical assistance to maintain it and has demonstrated how telemedicine has humanized this global drama. The challenge is in how to use patient data. The webinar pointed out that it is necessary for government administration to regulate the access to this data and to examine the transparency of use. Data is a common good and the resulting knowledge must also be a common good, because developing any new pharmaceutic requires patient data. 

About Opinno, a new model of open innovation: 
Opinno is a global innovation firm founded in Silicon Valley in 2008 that transforms organizations through the use of innovative methodologies designed by entrepreneurs. With more than 250 employees and a presence in 6 countries (Spain, United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia), we are one of the leading innovation consultancy firms. We specialize in the design of innovation and digital strategies, cultural/corporate transformation and new ways of working (agile, lean, collaborative models), design of digital products and services, digital reskilling of the workforce, prototyping, and the design and implementation of open innovation strategies. In addition to editing the MIT Technology Review magazine in Spanish, Opinno has consolidated an ecosystem of outstanding experts in innovation and technology from around the world. For more information visit www.opinno.com and find us on Twitter @Opinno.