Tromsø Telemedicine and eHealth Conference 11-13 June:
New technology supports elder care
In Tromsø, Norway, from 11 to 13 June, you will have the opportunity to hear about new and non-traditional possibilities for improving the efficiency of the public health service and reducing the burden it will face when the grey wave starts in earnest within a few years.
Forecasts indicate that in Norway we will need more than 100,000 new health workers during the next decade. In the same period, only 20,000 will complete an education in the health professions, and only a few of these will end up in the care sector. The arena of possibilities During the annual telemedicine conference in Tromsø, representatives from the health sector, industry and business as well as researchers and users in 20 countries will take part in debate and exchange experience across the boundaries of professional specialities and geography. The conference presents a wide range of technological possibilities to meet the needs of the growing proportion of elderly people who need health assistance and care. “We will discuss how technology can link health staff and users, as well as how it can improve collaboration between the levels in the health sector. Use of technology in the public health service must be seen as a way of working more intelligently and more efficiently. It supports the public health service; it will not take over the doctor's rule in any way,” comments Gunn-Hilde Rotvold, the Conference Chair. A question of costs Researchers focus on demonstrating that technology can offer the public health service better and more effective follow-up of patients. But the public health service also has limited resources. The cost of new technological solutions and who will pay for them will therefore always be an issue related to working in smarter ways in a fragmented health service. “Technology intended to help large groups of patients must be low-cost, both in terms of the unit price and as part of a public health service. This is almost a prerequisite for use of such technology in practice,” Rotvold believes. |
 The arena of inspirationThis is the seventh year that the telemedicine conference will be held. It has evolved from a pure communications forum into a meeting place that includes presentations and scientific news as well as working seminars and courses.The telemedicine community in Tromsø has created a meeting place for learning, networking and social fellowship – a fountain of knowledge to inspire innovative thinking and development. Results of studies This year's programme includes prestigious speakers from Norway and abroad as well as researchers and professionals within health and technology. They will present solutions from development projects and share experiences in the use of technology, both in the public health service and in the institutions and homes in which elderly people live. Wide-ranging themes The conference is divided into three subordinate themes:
Read more about the conference on the Web site: www.telemed.no/ttec2007 |
Article last updated: 2007.05.29
