Digital health strategies, implementation and opportunities will be explored at the National Healthcare Outcomes Conference which is taking place at RCSI today.

The annual conference, hosted by the Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre (HORC) at the RCSI School of Population Health, will hear from a range of speakers on issues including artificial artificial intelligence (AI) applications in fertility treatment, utilising digital solutions within trauma and orthopaedic surgery and the HSE roadmap for digital healthcare.

The programme will also look at patients’ questions and concerns around digital healthcare.

In the first session of the day, moderated by health and medical journalist Danielle Barron, expert speakers will look at ‘Digital Health Strategies for Better Outcomes’. Dr Rob Argent, RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, will define digital health and its growing role in Irish healthcare. The Department of Health’s Derek Tierney will explore using digital developments to move towards a healthier Ireland. The final speaker, Professor Richard Greene, Chief Clinical Information Officer for the HSE will outline the HSE roadmap for digital care.

The day’s second session, ‘Digital Health Implementation’ will see Mr Eric Sutherland, Senior Health Economist for OECD look at the lessons that have been learned during the first 20 years of health system digitalisation. Following this, Dr Neil Chadborn, Senior Research Fellow in Dementia for the University of Nottingham will explore using codesign in digital health to improve social connectedness for people with memory problems and dementia.

A quick-fire round on the topic of ‘AI Applications in Fertility Treatment’ will be followed by a panel discussion between Dr Claire Moran (CEO of First IVF), Dr Suzanne Smith (MFM Fellow in RCSI’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) and Dr Claire Timon, Cameron Scholars Lecture in RCSI’s School of Population Health.

Digital solutions

The third session of the day, ‘Digital Health Opportunities’ will commence with a welcome address by RCSI President, Professor Deborah McNamara. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic of utilising digital solutions within trauma and orthopaedic surgery. Panellists will include Mr Tom McCarthy (Joint National Clinical Lead for the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery), Ms Sinead Boran (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Advisor with the Virtual Fracture Assessment Clinics), Ms Audrey Butler (Orthopaedic Advanced Nurse Practitioner in the Acute Fracture Clinic), Ms Pauline Robinson (Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan) and Ms Ruth Kiely (Programme Manager for the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery).

The penultimate session of the day, ‘AI in Healthcare: Public Insights and Key Recommendations’. Panellists will include Dr Laura Brady (Digital Health Innovation Lead for FuturNeuro), Ms Laura Kavanagh (Research and Advocacy Manager with the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry – IPPOSI) and Mr Artur Banaszkiewicz (member of IPPOSI’s jury on healthcare).

Informed healthcare policy

Finishing out the event, RCSI’s Vice Dean for AI and Digital Health, Dr Sudipto Das will present a talk titled ‘Advancing RCSI’s Educational Initiatives to Enhance Digital Health Competency’.

Attendees will be welcomed by Professor Jan Sorensen, Health Outcomes Research Centre Director, along with Caitriona Walsh, Country President and Managing Director, Novartis Ireland, a sponsor of the event.

Established in 2016, the Health Outcomes Research Centre is dedicated to the development and dissemination of evidence-based research on healthcare outcomes that informs healthcare policy and improves patient outcomes.

The National Healthcare Outcomes Conference offers a unique forum for discussion about meeting healthcare challenges and how this might impact policy, planning, service delivery, funding, as well as access to innovation.