Patients and experts in a discussion on the need for unified efforts and a long-term debate on healthcare digitization

Creating an Expert Body to Work on Healthcare Digitalization to Be Proposed by Patient Organizations to the Ministry of Health

On March 24, the National Patient Organization organized a virtual forum on “Personalized Medicine, Innovation, and Digitalization in Healthcare,” bringing together representatives from countries with successful digitalization models, patients, NGOs, and technology experts.

Stakeholders in the healthcare sector once again united around the urgent need to introduce digitalization into healthcare. Experts emphasized the importance of a clearly defined strategic approach so that the digital transformation of healthcare meets the needs of patients, medical professionals, and other stakeholders, placing the patient and their data at the center of the system. According to the experts, a key approach is consolidation between various healthcare entities and the possibility for continuous collaboration to create effective, high-value solutions, leveraging the expertise, knowledge, and experience of the system participants. This should be achieved through the creation of an intersectoral and multidisciplinary debate within a future expert council, based on joint efforts and a strategic approach for the gradual implementation of innovations in the sector.

99% of Estonia is digitalized (from e-prescriptions to health records and various databases), data is encrypted and highly secure,” said Mrs. Carmen Raal, Digital Transformation Advisor at e-Estonia. She added that the digitalization process in the Baltic state began in 2008 and is mandatory. The ID card is electronic, and all data is digitalized. “A key role in the rapid and successful development of the digitalization process in our country is the result of public-private partnerships, where technology companies with proven experience and expertise took on the commitment to create a clear strategy and national infrastructure, ensuring the process is clearly defined and subsequently secured

She also added that regarding data and its use, Estonians own their data and provide access to medical personnel through various levels of access. She emphasized that a critical condition for achieving this comprehensive digitalization process, not only in healthcare but across all sectors, is the involvement of the governing government in the topic and the regular informing of the public about the implemented changes and their operation. Carmen Raal noted that the key to integrating all systems in the country, ensuring security, effectiveness, and data exchange, is the roadmap introduced in 2001, which essentially forms the backbone of the system.

Another speaker at the event was Mr. Pekka Kahri, Technical Associate at the Helsinki University Hospital, one of the most digitized hospitals in Europe. He stressed that his role as a technology expert in the hospital involves working effectively with stakeholders to foster public-private collaboration focused on digital health, healthcare data, and system interoperability.

My main goal is to help connect the best innovators and technology providers with the clinicians at HUS and their real needs. This happens through bilateral partnerships and an ecosystem approach,” commented the technology expert. Mr. Kahri emphasized that in Finland, many innovations occur at the clinical level and engage doctors throughout the digitalization process. “The common infrastructure and centralized databases at HUS form the foundation of the digitalization process at the institution

IT systems such as Digital Health Village are key technological platforms that operate at the system level and encourage the development of research and development activities within HUS’s IT department. Digital Health Village (Health Village) is a comprehensive digital healthcare services platform developed in collaboration with patients, healthcare professionals, IT experts, and patient organizations to meet the timely needs of all stakeholders and to develop new skills and competencies within them, explained Mr. Kahri, highlighting that collaboration between experts in the field is crucial for the success and operation of digital healthcare in any country.

Following the presentations on successful models for the implementation of digital services in healthcare, a discussion took place with representatives from the Bulgarian Medical Association, Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union, DHI Cluster Bulgaria, Bulgarian Association for Personalized Medicine, Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria, patient organizations, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (AICB), “Alexandrovska” University Hospital, “St. Marina” University Hospital, Medical University “Prof. Dr. P. Stoyanov” - Varna, and others.

Participants united around the following key points:

• Political will and a strategic approach are needed to launch digitalization in the healthcare sector;
• A critical condition for the digitalization process is consolidation with stakeholders in the sector and technology experts in the country, who possess the knowledge and experience to assist in the development of targeted solutions with high added value for the users;
• Digitalization of the sector will reduce costs, improve control, and enable predictability of processes and events within the system;
• A mandatory first step for the digitalization process is the creation of a clear strategy and roadmap for the implementation of the strategic goals. A sectoral strategy framework for the digitalization of Bulgarian healthcare has already been developed and even presented to the institutions;
• The role of the government in the digitalization process should be proactive, setting the framework, standards, legislation, and ensuring infrastructure, while the development of solutions should be built in partnership with the private sector, which has all the necessary technological knowledge and tools to create value in the sector through digital solutions;
• Digitalization should be introduced gradually, with clear information and messages to the public, and clinicians should be actively involved in the process so that it is as simplified and optimized as possible based on their daily work. In conclusion, experts agreed that digitalization of the sector should be seen as an ongoing and evolving process, which should continuously be enhanced and supplemented to meet the needs of the environment. They identified the creation of a digitalization strategy for the sector as an urgent necessity, which should be clearly communicated and developed in collaboration with experts in the field. This strategy must be based on a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together the efforts of all interested authorities, experts, professional associations, and patient organizations.