Healthcare needs change. On the positive side, healthcare experts are open to change and want to collaborate.
There is a need for innovation, changes in education, connecting needs and solutions, sustainability of funding and staffing, as well as healthy longevity or open data. The 5th EIT Morning Health Talk edition in Prague offered a range of topics discussed by representatives of major organisations and companies from the Czech healthcare ecosystem.
The event was attended by more than 50 guests from different areas of healthcare. In addition to the panel discussion and round table debate, the main objective of the event was to share experiences across healthcare organisations with an overlap into the European space.
Representatives of hospitals, the Ministry of Health, Longevity Tech Fund, Linet and Roche presented their views on collaboration in healthcare, especially where to get changes, innovations or move specific things forward. There was also a view from abroad - Jérémy Martin, Enabling Omnichannel & Growing efficient innovator within Healthcare, was the keynote speaker.
"The problems are too big to be solved by just one organisation. To overcome this problem, we need to enable collaboration within the healthcare ecosystem by building trust (being more accessible, more visible), identifying small friction points and "Walking the talk" (partnering with new partners; going out and attending events, learning new ideas)," Jérémy Martin outlined possible solutions. His personal vision is to aspire to create a space where anything is possible and people work cohesively together to generate valuable insights and viable solutions to pesky challenges.
The meeting and discussion of experts brought together a wide range of topics that are key to successful collaboration in the healthcare sector. One of the main topics was the necessary changes through innovation. The healthcare sector is often considered rigid in terms of innovation. However, it is clear that bringing in new perspectives, technologies and practices is essential to make progress. Discussants agreed that despite technical, financial and time barriers, it is important to look for opportunities and encourage innovation even in a regulated environment.
If we come up with an innovation, a complete novelty, it is not always easy and, for example, easy for physicians to grasp. Healthcare is a complex and regulated system and not everything can be implemented immediately. It is necessary to be patient, otherwise we will not achieve changes," says Vendula Macháčková, head of the science and research department at the Regional Hospital in Liberec.
During the discussion, the challenges facing the healthcare sector were also discussed. The representatives agreed that it is necessary to follow trends not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad. It is important to look for and support innovators and pioneers among doctors who have the desire to do things differently and bring new approaches and gradually change the health sector also with regard to generational change.
In conclusion, there is a strong will for effective collaboration between different actors in the health sector, which is essential for making progress and improving patient care. The discussion at the 5th EIT Morning Health Talk showed that professionals are interested in collaboration, innovation and change to bring positive outcomes to the health sector. There is a need to further support these efforts and create an environment that is open to innovation and practical system change.
