In a Nutshell – Presentations in the Solutions Hub

Cloud computing already plays a major role in many industries, including healthcare sector. However, health clouds in particular face massive hurdles in terms of data protection and the security of sensitive health data, widespread skepticism among decision-makers and users as well as legal ambiguities and gray areas.

Meanwhile, the potential for improving medical care is immense - from data storage and processing, the provision of computing power or the use of complete user programs.

In this session, we want to show what benefits the cloud in healthcare offers for healthcare processes and how sensitive healthcare data can be secured.

From patient anamnesis to the documentation of illnesses and therapies - as a healthcare system, we collect a huge amount of data every day. This opens up immeasurable potential for improving patient care safely and sustainably.

A prerequisite for the sustainable improvement of care through data-supported developments is the creation of a legally secure framework for the use of data and, not least, the willingness of patients to make sensitive data available for innovations.

At federal level, the Health Data Utilization Act and the Digital Act open up new possibilities for the further use of existing health data.

Stakeholders in the healthcare sector are exposed to the ever-increasing risk of cyber attacks. Not only is the number of attacks increasing rapidly, but also their quality - sometimes with serious consequences.

While the importance of an adequately high level of IT security seems obvious, the legal requirements are sometimes unclear for many players. Operational problems, from staff training to behavior in the event of an actual attack or damage, also remain a challenge.

Here, the players must establish measures to ensure holistic "IT security". At DMEA, we are looking for innovative solutions that support the players and address current obstacles.

Digital health and nursing applications (DiGA/DiPA) are important elements of modern digital healthcare in Germany. They are part of the future electronic healthcare infrastructure. The purpose of digital applications is to stabilize or improve medical and nursing care.

Digital applications are already being used in various areas of healthcare. A distinction must be made between digital health applications (DiGA) and digital nursing applications (DiPA):

DiGAs are digital medical devices of lower (and higher according to the DigiG) risk classes that support insured persons in the treatment of illnesses or the compensation of impairments.

Digital nursing applications (DiPA) are digital applications that are used by people in need of care or their relatives to reduce impairments to their independence or to counteract a worsening of the need for care.

In addition to the large market for service providers, a patient-focused offering is increasingly emerging. This aims to give patients confidence in dealing with their illnesses: Whether dealing with symptoms, correctly assessing and reacting to adverse outbreaks when checking their own vital signs or becoming more actively involved in therapy.

Empowering patients not only improves care and simplifies treatment, but also gives those affected a better quality of life.

Software, tools and other applications that were previously only available to medical and nursing staff will increasingly be used by the patients themselves and electronic patient records will also be in the hands of the patients themselves in the future, with only the patient deciding who has read and write access.

This makes it all the more important to inform patients about the potential and possible dangers so that they can not only handle their own data responsibly, but also gain a better understanding of their own health.

Fast and beneficial documentation, more efficient care and administrative processes or better communication with the interdisciplinary team (e.g. doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacies, etc.) are just a few examples of what the digitalization of care promises.

The aim is to relieve the burden on care recipients, their relatives and the caregivers themselves, as well as to increase the self-determination and participation in social life of care recipients.

It has not only been decided that 15,000 outpatient and 15,000 inpatient care facilities will be connected to the TI from July 1, 2025, telecare, care robotics, digital documentation and assistance systems or AI in care, among other things, will increasingly find their way into the care landscape.

All of this makes the digitalization of nursing care one of the most dynamic and relevant fields of the future. At this Solution Hub, we would like to highlight the opportunities and challenges of digitalization in care and what still needs to be done to make it a success.

In order to achieve interoperability in healthcare and research in Germany, the use of international standards is required.

Syntactic standards (e.g. FHIR) and semantic standards (e.g. SNOMED CT and LOINC) enable structured and therefore reusable data exchange in various areas.

Solutions that work with these standards can therefore offer added value for healthcare, research and administration.

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and algorithms have been on everyone's lips for years in the context of the digitalization of the healthcare sector and have also been omnipresent in the media, at the latest due to the debates surrounding chat GPT.

Beyond marketing promises, the new processes have already found their way into everyday medical practice in many areas, whether for clinical decision support or for use by patients.

Many current use cases sounded like science fiction a few years ago - but the future is now, and the potential of artificial intelligence in all areas of care can hardly be overestimated.

An interoperable integration of various medical technology and health IT systems is key to improving everyday healthcare. Systems for automated data collection and transmission, IT-supported capacity and process optimization or telemedicine applications in both clinical and outpatient settings have become indispensable.

Patients also contribute to the improvement of their own care and the care of the general public by independently collecting health data. Patients must therefore be taken into account in the networking process, not only to increase acceptance, but also to emphasize their own responsibility.

Are you an exhibiting software manufacturer or IT service provider in the healthcare sector - but do not find yourself in the key topics of the Solutions Hub 2024? Then we offer you the opportunity to present your product and/or service in this broad-based session.

Telemedicine methods are being used increasingly widely in patient care in Germany - this was particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. An overcrowded waiting room or a long journey to the GP surgery may become a relic of the past.

Telemedicine is where medical services can be offered over a physical distance. Practitioners and patients, but also practitioners among themselves, can use digital applications such as apps, video services or teleconsultation platforms with the help of information and communication technology to communicate with each other and improve treatment.