ILC-UK, New dynamics of ageing and the actuarial profession debate: Improving care, tackling isolation and reducing costs? Can new technology live up to its promise?
Agenda
15:00 – 16:30 Debate registration and Technology Showcase
16:30 – 18:30 Speaker’s Presentations, Debate and Q&A
18:30 – 19:00 Drinks and Technology Showcase
The full agenda for this event will be available shortly.
Telecare and telemedicine can improve health outcomes and save money, argued the Prime Minister late last year. The Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) programme was set up by the Department of Health to attempt to, amongst other things, explore the evidence base as to the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these technologies.
The findings were striking. “If delivered properly, telehealth can substantially reduce mortality, reduce the need for admissions to hospital, lower the number of bed days spent in hospital and reduce the time spent in A&E” argued the DH.
The randomised control trial of over 6000 patients found that if delivered properly, telehealth can deliver:
- 15% reduction in A&E visits
- 20% reduction in emergency admissions
- 14% reduction in bed days
- 8% reduction in tariff costs
- 45% reduction in bed days
Yet whilst claims about the potential of technology have been made for many years, embedding such technologies into people’s homes and lives has proved difficult.
The usability and accessibility of new technologies, the digital divide, a lack of funding for prevention, and a lack of trust and knowledge among healthcare professionals are among the many reasons why new technologies have sometimes failed to meet their potential.