The Ibero-American Network for Mobile Technologies in Health, led by the UOC, is a key initiative for moving forward in health digitization
The RITMOS 2018 International Workshop, organized by the Ibero-American Network for Mobile Technologies in Health (CYTED-RITMOS Network, ref. 515RT0498), has made a place for itself as the meeting point for e-health initiatives in Latin American countries. This international network, led by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), includes among its members 20 research groups from 8 countries and 18 universities, as well as organizations such as WHO, Doctors Without Borders, Telefónica, the Mobile World Capital Foundation and the University of Michigan. Its objective is to foster the development of mobile health in Latin America and Spain.
Held at the end of October in Bogotá, the 4th RITMOS International Workshop showcased innovative e-health experiences in Latin America in such diverse fields as ocular telehealth, use of digital technologies in rehabilitation, big data, mobile apps, the electronic medical record and patient data security. "During the network's four years of operation, we have deployed initiatives that have proven mobile technology's capability for providing access to care options whose availability would otherwise be hindered by distance and the associated cost", explained Francesc Saigí, director of the UOC's Telemedicine programme and RITMOS coordinator.
However, in spite of this effort, mobile health's footprint in Latin America is still very small, "mainly due to the lack of scientific evidence about the benefits it brings to health services. This evidence is necessary if we are to persuade politicians to strongly commit to it", Saigí added.
Next steps
The round table "M-health in the face of Latin America's new challenges" highlighted the need to evaluate the initiatives implemented thus far and the importance of making policy and strategic decisions that deliver regulatory and legal solutions fostering the use of m-health applications in Latin America. This area of the world is currently hampered by legal and regulatory uncertainties, as the conference pointed out.
A number of research projects promoted by the UOC eHealth Center were presented at the conference, such as the use of mobile apps in pain management or persuasive technology, presented by Manuel Armayones; the importance of evaluating health apps, by Carme Carrion; health literacy, by Eulàlia Hernández; or the potential of health data science, presented by Jordi Conesa. The conference was attended by more than 50 national and international speakers, with the participation of 7 countries. Keynote addresses were given by Jordi Serrano Pons, entrepreneur and WHO consultant, and Walter G. Suárez, ICT strategy director at Kaiser Permanente.
This year's conference has been particularly successful in that it has brought together a large number of people involved in all areas of e-health development in Latin American countries, from universities, government institutions and medical centres to start-ups that are developing health technologies. More than 600 professionals from 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean registered to attend and hundreds more followed the sessions via streaming.
As Francesc Saigí summarized, «We need to continue working to ensure that RITMOS provides solutions to health challenges both in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Spain. The key is to increase both the quantity and quality of the projects deployed, leveraging the high penetration of mobile communication services. To do it, UOC has the eHealth Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, designated WHO Collaborating Centre in digital health».