The third edition of the #BHHSummit held last Thursday, October 28th, has been a great success. This leading event in digital health had more than 1000 online participants from 50+ different countries. The event was live streamed directly from the headquarters of  Barcelona Health Hub, located at the beautiful Recinto Modernista de Sant Pau. Although the access to the on-site event was limited due to the current regulations, the #BHHSummit was visited by more than 200 attendees, 22 exhibitors, and more than 30 speakers. 

“The #BHHSummit has returned with strength and passion, becoming a must in digital health worldwide,” according to Luis Badrinas, CEO of Barcelona Health Hub. “We’ve had top panelists who have given us a clear picture of what the patient of the future really means today.”

Cristian Pascual, President of Barcelona Health Hub, adds: “While healthcare is facing many challenges, digital health brings solutions to provide a more scalable, affordable and inclusive healthcare. Today we have seen how these technologies are a reality happening. We are starting the Golden Ages of Digital Health.”

If one thing is becoming clear at this #BHHSummit, it is that digital medicine has helped to bring the patient into the equation. Personalised medicine is being built, with and for the patient. On the other hand, digital medicine allows us to exponentially accelerate preventive medicine. If we know the “why” of the aspects related to our health, we are better at taking care of ourselves and preventing diseases. Information and knowledge truly empowers the patient.

One of the important conclusions from the #BHHSummit is that digital solutions are disrupting healthcare while now the industry is more open to innovation. Patients want to get involved and take an active interest in their health and advance health in general. So let’s involve them and be open to find the best collaboration models!

Panel Liquid Hospital 

The first panel of the day focussed on “Liquid hospital: How the Care is Evolving in the Hospital Setting”, with experts from Sham, HumanITcare, MamaTieneMigraña and Barcelona Children’s Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. It discussed how the care outside of the hospital walls can be expanded through telemedicine, remote monitoring or home care while focusing the resources of the hospital on the more serious cases; how the concept of liquid hospital has been affecting the patients’ care and how its current limits can be overcomed. “The liquid hospital goes beyond the walls of the hospital. By making it more collaborative, healthcare is not limited to a physical location, but instead is delivered wherever the patient is,” according to César Téllez Boente, Head of Business Development at Sham España.

Panel The Patient Journey: Putting the Person in the Driver’s Seat

The second panel of the #BHHSummit was centered around the topic of “The Patient Journey: Putting the Person in the Driver’s Seat”. The expert panelists from Zurich, Lilo Health, University of Oslo and Roche discussed the empowerment of the citizen-patients and the impact of this shift in mentality. Together with the moderator from Doctomatic they talked also about the use of technology on the lives of both the citizens focused on their wellbeing and keeping healthy, and the patients suffering from a chronic condition requiring regular medical attention. “To improve the patient journey, we need to connect the dots between providers and specialists. Digital tools can keep the patient involved in the process,” accroding to  Stefano De Liguoro, Head of Digital and Direct Business at Zurich.

Panel Making the Most of Data 

“Making the Most of Data to Ensure the Best Health Outcomes” was the topic of the last panel of the day. Experts from CatSalut, Thryve, Iomed and Veristat, together with the moderator from EIT Health, discussed the importance of using data to advance healthcare and how the flow of data can be made more accessible. Javier de Oca, CEO of Iomed, adds: “Privacy versus innovation – we need a balance between access to big data without losing the privacy governance around the data.”

#BHHAwards

The #BHHAwards recognize actors in the health sector working to accelerate the adoption of innovation in the healthcare industry — so that the most relevant breakthroughs and disruptive technologies actually reach and make an impact in people’s life. This year, the focus was on solutions or initiatives that have been improving the journey & experience of the patients and their families, and for each category there were 4 organizations nominated. More than 20,000 votes were casted and during the #BHHSummit the winners of each category were announced. 

In the category of Best Innovative Startup, Lactapp won this prestigious award. Lactapp provides advice on breastfeeding through their Artificial Intelligence based mobile app. The award for the Best Innovative Hospital went to the Barcelona Children’s Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, a highly specialised mother and child hospital located in Barcelona. Movistar Salud, Movistar’s new telemedicine service, won in the category Best Innovative Corporate. Lastly, it was the Fundación PaliaClinic who went home with the award for Best Innovative Initiative. PaliaClinic provides support and accompaniment to the most vulnerables people facing an advanced illness or the end of life of a loved one.