TicSalut and the Business Advisory Council join forces to promote technology in the social and healthcare sector

“Glocals: we are local but with a global view”. This term, which was coined by the former president of the foundation, is one of the definitions of Fundació TicSalut that was made in the summer session of the Business Advisory Council (CAE) held on 18 July. Mrs. Roser Fernàndez, Secretary General for Health; Mr. Jordi Domínguez, the head of Organisation of Social Welfare and Family, and; Mr. Francesc García Cuyàs, Director of Fundació TicSalut and General Coordinator of ICT of the Department of Health welcomed those attending.

Dr. Jordi Martínez, Fundació TicSalut Director of Innovation, presented the situation of the Business Advisory Council and its future lines. This council was constituted at the end of 2007 and is the body for advice and participation of the companies voluntarily collaborating with the foundation in promoting ICTs in the health area.

Who forms the CAE?

TicSalut CAE members can include public and private companies and institutions related to the sector of ICTs and health, research centres, science and technology parks and local administrations.

The CAE is currently formed by 123 leading companies in the sector which collaborate with the aims of TicSalut according to the criteria established by the Board of Governors and the internal regulation. During the session, a study was presented that was made to know the characteristics of these companies:

For further information, you can contact the foundation at info@ticsalut.cat.

‘Let’s share’

The session of the Business Advisory Council closed with the talk Compartim (Let’s share) by Mr. Joan Elias, Doctor in Communication and Humanities by the Ramon Llull University, teacher at EADA Business School and IL3 (UAB), Open Mind communicator and speaker, creator of “motiv-oción” in  and “líderHazgo”. We talk to him in this issue of FlashTicSalut.

• We do we as technologists and healthcare specialists have to share to move forward?

Sharing at this new social and economic time means cooperating. Specialities so important for society as ICTs and health cannot be allowed to go on separately.

• What did the people responsible for the companies of the CAE mean?

I wanted to insist on the need for people not to research separately, they must do so together, always with the user and the patient in mind.

• What role must communication play in such an innovative sector as ICT and health?

Communication is the final goal of everything. Technology is an extraordinary means to organise and summarise information. Communication must be simple and easy and technology can make it so. It is curious that technology, which facilitates communication, can be an unknown in itself. Maybe it is very new, but efforts have to be made to make it known more.

• You talk about the "LiderHazgo". How can we put it into practice?

My favourite phrase is, “LiderHazgo: déjate de rollos y haz algo” [NB: Play on the words “Liderazgo – leadership and “Hago” – I do; giving a rough translation “I do leadership: stop wasting time and do something”). We have long had too many magic formulae in the world of management. Now the theory is over and it’s time to put it into practice. You may take a first small step, but take one!

• Some health professionals are sceptical about ICTs. How do we encourage them to take the step?

Many professionals are, it is logical. Many professionals were born before the digital era and are not used to it. The encouragement will come through training and the entry of e-professionals.

The Month of the Map of Tendencies 2014

One of the new developments in 2014 is the organisation of a series of activities that will be planned for one month and will conclude with the presentation of the results of the Map of Tendencies, this year in its eighth edition.

These activities, which will be held in different locations and be aimed at the system’s different stakeholders, will serve to disseminate and present the results of the ICT and Health Survey in Catalonia, a study that gives an objective view of the level of development of ICTs in the network of Catalan public health and social healthcare centres.  Similarly, discussion forums are planned in which to share challenges and establish synergies to face them. Another outstanding activity is the presentation of a monographic study, which this year will deal with mobility.