With a new year comes new goals.
Our staff have been reflecting on the changes and progress they want to see over the coming year. So as we settle into 2020, we asked some key people across IGHI about the developments they’d like to see in healthcare.
Improving our use of data
“My hope for healthcare in 2020 is that we find more, and better ways of using data and analytics to protect and improve outcomes for patients. Whether this is improving data sharing between hospitals, enhancing our systems’ cybersecurity or simply better use of datasets that are already there. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of an Institute that is working across the healthcare spectrum to influence the discourse and make this a reality. Here’s to a data-driven 2020!”
Melanie Leis
Director – Big Data and Analytical Unit (BDAU)
Give patients greater access to their records
“My hope is for patients to have greater access to their electronic health records, particularly relating to medication. The last decade has seen significant steps forward in involving patients in their own healthcare, which could lead to safer care and better health outcomes. With increasing use of electronic systems, the potential is there for patients both to view their records and suggest amendments and clarifications. However, particularly in hospitals, electronic prescribing systems can actually create barriers to patient access compared with paper drug charts. So my hope is that we reverse this trend and allow hospital patients to be true partners in their care.”
Professor Bryony Dean Franklin
Theme 4 Lead, NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
Taking risks in medical innovation
“The ‘Valley of Death’ in innovation, the challenging phase between having an idea and turning it into a successful product or system, can sink technology on the cusp of real clinical impact. This remains an open challenge for innovations in medical technology. For 2020, I hope for a more streamlined regulatory framework and more appetite for high-risk ventures that promise to solve some of the big challenges facing society.
“Many technological breakthroughs never reach their translational potential due to a myriad of barriers. A faster certification route and broader access to appropriate funds to boost commercialisation would therefore go a long way in supporting the UK’s long-term healthcare needs. 2020 promises big changes and I am excited to see what it brings.”
Professor Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena
Interim Co-Director of the Hamlyn Centre
Responding to the needs of people
“My hope is that – through Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals – there continues to be an increased focus everywhere on the well-being and resilience of individuals and households in ways that respond to their needs and aspirations. In particular, exploring social and economic causes of mental and physical ill-health. Doing so engages multiple actors able to influence health, in inclusive ways, as ‘living systems’. It takes advantage of the opportunities offered by innovative technologies and ways of connecting.“
Dr David Nabarro
Co-Director of IGHI
A greater understanding of young people’s mental health
“I hope that we can gain a more holistic understanding of young people’s mental health and use this to create better services and communities of support. By working together, researchers and charities can learn from young people accessing non-traditional mental health services. We can hear directly from the voices of young people about the issues they face, and learn what works to support their mental health. I look forward to combining forces across disciplines and sectors to tackle the mental health crisis “head on”.”