On Wednesday, February 24, interested parties from academia and practice were able to participate in the 16th Livestream State Conference „Digitalization in Healthcare 2021“, where experts in Potsdam shed light on the digital push in the industry triggered by the Covid 19 pandemic. Topics and discussions around data use in the German healthcare system, such as the introduced electronic patient record (ePA) and health apps on prescription with all advantages and disadvantages were reflected.
In the run-up to the conference, which was organized by Telemed-Initiative Brandenburg e.V. and DigitalAgentur Brandenburg GmbH in cooperation, Eckhard Nagel as Managing Director of the Institute for Medical Management and Health Sciences at the University of Bayreuth pointed out the positive and negative effects that digitalization in the healthcare system brings.
According to this, video consultations with doctors and therapists clearly support the digitization process, also accelerated by Corona. Treatment via the screen, for example, with the help of video switching has advantages because the risk of infection can be significantly reduced for all players.
However, Nagel also points out that you first have to reach people and win them over to the technology. There are also recurring problems with Internet connections that break down when telemedicine consultations take place. Digitization is coming along nicely with the introduction of ePA alone, as well as apps on prescription. Nagel is only concerned about people who are already socially disadvantaged. These are neglected in the digital care process or even excluded from it altogether. The same applies to non-smartphone owners, who cannot take advantage of the Corona warning app, for example.
However, the experts agree that the pandemic must be seen as an opportunity for a boost in innovation and as an accelerator in the German healthcare system.
Source: Telematik-Konferenz