Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”. 

👇 News 

🧳The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling for all countries to join WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network, to align health checks for verification across borders. President and CEO of WTTC, Julia Simpson said in a statement that a unified plan – including digital health passes – is needed to avoid a global tourism shutdown in the event of another pandemic.

😇 A collaboration between Archangel and Care Messenger will see supported living residents delivered reminders about medication adherence, scheduled carer visits and food and hydration reminders, as well as be equipped with fall prevention technology. In an Archangel press release, published on 3 June 2024, the company said the Care Messenger smart TV video tech would complement the Archangel Ambient Assisted Living platform.

🧠 A report from CB Insights, published on 4 June 2024, revealed that Neuralink – Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company – has grown its workforce by 120% in the past two years. In January 2024 Musk announced on X the company had implanted its brain-computer interface in its first human patient.

🦴 An independent evaluation by Peterson Health Technology Institute has found that virtual solutions can deliver clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function, for people with a musculoskeletal condition. The company stated that many of the solutions evaluated “offer clinical benefits to patients that are comparable to in-person physical therapy”.

📣 Voice directed technology firm Voice-Care has announced that the company will form a partnership with software provider Leecare. According to a press release published on 4 July 2024, the partnership will see Leecare’s existing technology solutions connecting care providers become voice-enabled. Additionally, it confirmed live trials would commence in the UK in June 2024.

📖 What we’re reading

Why digital innovation may not reduce healthcare’s environmental footprint – Published in the BMJ on June 3 2024, this analysis argues that digital innovations should not be viewed as a simple fix for healthcare emissions.

❓Did you know?

An assessment from McKinsey has shown that the potential value of fully utilising 26 digital healthcare technologies in 14 countries, is equal to 8-12% of total healthcare spending within each country, through gains in productivity and reductions in demand.

The assessment was cited in McKinsey’s exploration of how to scale national e-health using best practices from around the world, published on 3 June 2024.

🚨 This week’s events 

12-13 June 2024 , Manchester Central – NHS Confed Expo