The third annual Patients’ Digital Health Awards (PDHA) are now open for entry to innovators and start-ups from Europe, that design or implement projects that improve patients’ quality of life and care.
Eligible projects will cover areas such as access to information, telehealth, medication adherence, lifestyle coaching, tele-rehabilitation, narrative medicines and psychological support.
This year the Awards also include a special focus on technology for people that have had to manage the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment during the COVID-19 emergency and/or those who contracted the COVID-19.
Open for entry until 24 September 2020, the Patients’ Digital Health Awards (PDHA) aim to reward digital innovations that make a difference to the lives of people living with disease and fall into one of their three categories:
- A digital health solution that has been already developed, tested or used
- A digital health solution developed and used during the COVID-19 health crisis to address the needs of those who, living with a disease, had to manage the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment during the COVID-19 emergency and/or those who contracted the COVID-19
- A digital health solution that has been conceived, but not yet been implemented or used
The Awards are organised by the Digital Health Academy, with involvement from 50 patient associations and an unconditional contribution from the MSD Foundation. An innovative project that is unique in Europe, the Awards look to reward solutions that assist with patients’ digital empowerment.
This year the Awards’ partners also include the Allied for Startups global network, the European ACN association and the European Patients Forum’s Youth Group.
Applications for the Patients’ Digital Health Awards close at 17:00 (CEST) on 24 September 2020.
A new humanism for digital health
Alongside the call for entries to the PDHA, a new publication outlines the patient association recommendations for taking a more ‘human’ approach to the development of digital health.
The Patients’ Advice for a H.U.M.A.N Digital Health white paper was designed to set some rules and provide the patient point of view to those working on the design and implementation of digital health solutions.
The H.U.M.A.N approach, recommended for digital health, covers:
H: health literacy
U: uncomplicated
M: meaningful
A: authentic
N: natural
The digital health guide also highlights the importance of keeping the person, both the patient and the caregiver, with all their different needs at the heart of any technological assistance.
