11 - 12 May 2015, Riga, Latvia.The mHealth community will get a unique opportunity to influence the future of mHealth in Europe at eHealth Week and at the second annual mHealth Summit Europe. The event, which has 'Energising the mHealth Agenda in Europe' as its theme, kicks off eHealth Week - Europe's largest pan-European conference. Consultation results from the European Commission's Green Paper on mHealth will be presented at a plenary organised jointly by the Latvian Presidency, European Commission (EC) and HIMSS Europe, where follow-up actions will be discussed with panellists and the audience.
Peteris Zilgalvis, Head of Unit at the health and well-being unit of DG CONNECT, European Commission speaking on the mHealth Green Paper said: "The consultation has brought up some key issues for mHealth app developers, policy makers and end users alike - and the eHealth Week and mHealth Summit Europe will prove critical in determining the next steps."
More than 200 separate responses were received as part of this public consultation, which took place April-July, 2014. Of those that responded - from both inside and outside the EU - 97 said that strong privacy and security tools, such as data encryption and authentication mechanisms, were needed to build users' trust in mHealth; half called for a strengthened enforcement of data protection and the rules applicable to mHealth devices and nearly half demanded more patient safety and transparency of information, by means of certification schemes or quality labelling of lifestyle and wellbeing apps, with others warning against the risks of over-regulation. See the summary report of the Green Paper on mHealth Consultation here.
"The co-location of eHealth Week and mHealth Summit is no coincidence," said Rainer Herzog, Managing Director, HIMSS Europe, which co-hosts the event with the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHA). "As the eHealth market continues to develop and with the global mHealth market set to reach €19.77 billion by 2017 and Europe expected to become the largest market for mHealth in 2018 - the timing for this international thought leadership event could not be better."
Herzog added: "This summit will provide a crucial opportunity for the mHealth community to discuss the future of mHealth in Europe and decide on ways forward," says Rainer Herzog. "HIMSS, in its role as a global thought leader in this arena, is pleased to be part of this."
Taking place during the eHealth week under the auspices of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the mHealth Summit Europe 2015 welcomes principal stakeholders of the mHealth world from public and private healthcare sectors, clinicians, hospital and IT managers and VIP guests. The Summit will also address the role of regulation and standardisation in supporting innovation and creating trust and will explore national governments' roles in embedding mHealth in national health policies.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.mhealthsummit.eu
About HIMSS
HIMSS is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSS leads efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes using information technology.
HIMSS is a part of HIMSS WorldWide, a cause-based, global enterprise producing health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS WorldWide encompasses more than 52,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 600 corporations and 250 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS WorldWide, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia.