The Centre for Health Science played host to the 3rd P4 Digital Event on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. This series of events aims to bring together businesses, academics and healthcare professionals in order to share ideas and current practice in more Predictive, Personalised, Preventive and Participatory healthcare, delivered using digital technology. Aging populations and the increase in lifestyle related diseases partnered with rising costs and smaller budgets mean that innovative approaches to health and care must be sought. The growing capability and popularity of digital technology presents an excellent opportunity to develop cost effective and efficient systems and devices which will reshape the future delivery of health and care services.
Across the two days, examples of P4 Digital in action were presented, showing that P4 Digital thinking is already generating new ideas and that the Highlands of Scotland is becoming a focus for such activity. Speakers from Vodafone, Lifescan and the Web Science Trust complemented those from academia and the NHS. The utilisation of remote technologies and the web featured strongly, as did the need for more customer focus in the design process. A presentation on consumer health psychology was given by Dr Vivien Swanson of Stirling University's Centre for Health and Behaviour Change. This presentation, like Professor Irene McAra McWilliam's of Glasgow School of Art, highlighted the need for users and customers to be at the centre of health and care services. It also emphasized that if populations are to become more health conscious, design needs to take account of human behavioural trends.
Exhibition space was also provided across the two days, which allowed businesses, such as Sitekit, Telehealth Solutions and IP Solicitors WJM, to present their services and products to a delegation of 150. Plenty of time to network was provided, which created an excellent buzz throughout the centre. Delegates were also given the opportunity to visit the Glasgow School of Art Digital Design Studio, which is currently undertaking innovative work in the field of health education using 3D technology. The delegates came from a vast range of backgrounds, with 40% coming from business, 16% from the care professions and 15% from academia. This shows that ‘P4 Digital’ can provide an excellent platform for collaboration and cross-sectoral activity.
As well as the scale of the P4 Digital network in the Highlands and Islands, the development of a ‘P4 Corridor’ emerged as a theme. A number of businesses, academics and healthcare professionals based between Inverness and Elgin have formed a P4 digital cluster that is complimented by others elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands, pursuing opportunities to develop health and care products that are Predictive, Personalised, Preventive and Participatory.
Presentations and video footage will be made available shortly on the HIE website. A follow up event is planned for October/November 2011. Please contact dyan.berry@hient.co.uk with any queries.
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