Longer, bigger and crisper...

Vitalis will be celebrating its 5th anniversary with a new format. "The exhibition will be bigger and the whole event feels like it's going to be crisper," says Eva Martinsson, who heads up the Vitalis team.

The basic concept of a three-day conference, combined with an exhibition, has been retained. As for the rest, most everything has been changed for the 2007 event.

There have also been some changes behind the scenes. Håkan Magnusson, Sales, and Eva Martinsson, Exhibition Manager, have been joined by new team member Pia Mooij, Coordinator/Sales.

We put ten questions to Eva to get the lowdown on the situation:

Eva Martinsson

1. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CHANGES AFFECTING VITALIS 2007?

"We're planning a lot of new features, both for the conference and the exhibition. The Nordic and European content will be much bigger. We're going for longer and more substantial lectures. There'll be interesting debates, questions, workshops and activities. The exhibition will also have longer opening hours and cover a 20% larger area."

2. THIS AUTUMN LOCAL AND REGIONAL COUNCILS IN SWEDEN WILL START IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL IT STRATEGY FOR HEALTH CARE. HOW WILL THIS BE APPARENT AT VITALIS 2007?

"It will impact on the event to a great degree. One of the opening speakers, Sören Olofsson, Chief Executive Officer, Stockholm County Council, has headed up the work on the plan of action. The opening will also provide an opportunity to question representatives from the health care sector and all the other major players - Swedish Ministry of Health & Social Affairs, National Board of Health & Welfare, Apoteket (Sweden's state-owned retail pharmacy monopoly), Swedish Association of Local Authorities & Regions - on the implementation of the IT strategy. The strategy will, of course, also be very much in evidence on the conference programme and in the workshops."

3. THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE WILL BE SPOTLIGHTED AT VITALIS 2007. WHAT'S YOUR APPROACH HERE?

"It's easy to think in domestic terms, but Sweden is part of Europe and we feel that it's important to show what's happening outside our borders. And there's plenty going on in e-health all over Europe. Some of the people in the Vitalis working group also deal with EU questions in Brussels. They help us find the right speakers. Our aim is to provide valuable input and open doors to dialogues and an exchange of experiences."

4. THE LECTURES WILL BE LONGER. WHY IS THAT?

"We're changing the whole structure, reducing the seminars from about seventy to fifty minutes or so. And the lectures, which used to be twenty minutes in length, will now last half an hour. But the actual speaking time won't be longer. Instead, we'll be using a professional moderator, someone who's familiar with the subject, who'll ask questions and open up a lively dialogue with the listeners. That's something we haven't had time for previously."

5. YOU WANT TO WIDEN THE VISITOR BASE. HOW?

"Representatives from Vårdförbundet (Swedish Association of Health Professionals) and Sveriges Läkarförbund (Swedish Medical Association) will be actively involved in our programme planning, which will make these groups even keener to take part in the conference. They will also spread the news of Vitalis within their organisations, which we hope will lead to more visitors from these categories. We're also making a purposeful marketing effort - advertising, campaigns, etc. - in neighbouring countries Norway and Denmark - to attract decision-makers in the health care and related sectors."

6. CONFERENCE DELEGATES OFTEN FEEL THERE IS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO VISIT THE EXHIBITION. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THAT?

"We're increasing the number of intervals. We're also reverting to keeping the exhibition open for three days - during the whole of Vitalis, in accordance with the wishes of both visitors and exhibitors."

7. MORNING MEETINGS ARE A NEW FEATURE IN 2007. WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT?

"They are exclusively designed for the exhibitors. On Thursday and Friday between 8 and 9, which is before the exhibition opens, the exhibitors will be able to meet a guest speaker, who will give an interesting talk. And that meeting could be the door opener to new business opportunities."

8. THINK TANKS ARE ALSO NEW. WHAT ARE THEY?

"The Think Tanks are quite simply a number of rooms set up in the exhibition area and intended for spontaneous meetings. Vitalis is the meeting place that attracts most decision-makers from the health care and related sectors. It's important for us to foster dialogues and an exchange of ideas. The Think Tanks provides a quiet environment that allows you to hold a conversation, or do business."

9. WHAT ACTIVITIES HAVE YOU PLANNED?

"G Hall on Level 2 will feature 'Posters', an exhibition within the exhibition, organised by SFMI (Swedish Federation for Medical Informatics). Friday will be the day for workshops. And there will be plenty going on throughout Vitalis by the large staircase in the centre of the exhibition. Everything from the 'Hot Seat', 10-minute question time sessions with interesting personalities, to out-and-out show activities."

10. IT WILL BE VITALIS' 5TH ANNIVERSARY. HOW WILL YOU BE CELEBRATING THIS?

"We're going all out with a party and lots of entertainment in our new Estrad banqueting suite. It won't be a traditional banquet, but a buffet. The facilities at Estrad include a 'show' kitchen, a stage and several bars. And there'll be a few surprises. I don't want to reveal too much, but I can say that those exhibitors who have taken part in all five events will not go unnoticed."

GUEST COLUMNIST: BO DAHLBOM

Health care and the market

We've heard radio reports of Europeans using health care services in Thailand, where patients are attracted by European quality at Asian prices. No queues, no waiting. The reporters wondered whether it was not amoral to exploit a health care system that was obviously needed by the Thai people themselves.

No, tourism and commerce are not amoral. On the contrary, the fact that we travel to Thailand, live in their houses, spread ourselves out on their beaches, fill their restaurants, buy food, rent cars, and otherwise consume the country's resources are important factors for its development.

Bo Dahlbom is Professor at the IT University of Göteborg. He is also Research Director of the Interactive Institute, which conducts experimental IT research by combining art, design and technology. He is Associate Professor of Theoretical Philosophy, Professor of Administrative Data Processing, member of the Swedish Government IT Policy Strategy Group, and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Bo Dahlbom debates, writes books about and lectures on information technology and the future. His books include Computers in Context (1993), Planet Internet (2000), Artifacts and Artificial Science (2002), and Makten över framtiden (2003).

Buying health care in Thailand is an example of the globalisation of the service market. The more we move about, the less loyal to our county councils we become. Health care becomes a service like any other. The globalisation of health care opens the door to competition and privatisation and contributes towards making health care more cost-effective more quickly. The health care queues become as absurd as the bread queues in the Soviet Union were.

Globalisation is one of several powerful processes that are changing society worldwide, and, like most other such processes, it is now being driven forward by the Internet. Automation is another such process. In the 20th century, automation meant a revolution in the manufacture of goods. The same thing is happening to administration and other services in the 21st century. IT and the Internet are bringing about a revolution in health care, with a phenomenal increase in productivity and a wealth of interesting new services.

Whenever people start asking whether a particular trade or craft cannot be automated, the craftsmen always claim that it cannot possibly be done. To take one example, shoemakers said that shoes could never be made by machine, because all feet were different. Now, we all walk around in machine-made shoes. True, they might chafe a bit or fit a little loosely, but that's life. The same goes for medicine. The illnesses we contract are not new. Others have had them before us. They shouldn't come as a surprise. Most diagnoses are simple to make and the treatments are routine. It should be possible to fix them via self service on the Internet. Sure, everyone is different, and the automated form of treatment may chafe a bit here, and be a bit loose there. But that is something we are willing to accept when the price drops and the range of services grows.

Globalisation and automation mean a growth in trade. For the first time in history, there are more people in commerce than in production, and commerce is making its mark on our societies. Commercialisation will soon also apply to health care. If you can trade in food, you can trade in health care. The Internet is making health care available on the global market. The public sector will become a buyer rather than a provider of health care. Nowadays, the importance of small-scale businesses to growth and development is repeated almost like a mantra. Yet, our large public sector is cut off from the blessings heaped upon small-scale business. No wonder the public sector is marking time, to the beat of frightening inefficiencies and quality shortfalls.

Knowledge is growing at a rate of knots. We're getting wiser and more sensible. We see this rationalisation of society in the fantastic development of medical technology, new diagnostic and treatment methods. We don't have to believe in the ability of gene technology and nanotechnology to revolutionise health care - but is there anyone who doesn't? And whether we do, or not, developments are still bound to strike us with amazement. More precise diagnoses and more differentiated treatments will enable us to combine individualisation with automation.

Rationalisation also means a general increase in the level of knowledge, with citizens who are more capable of making informed decisions, people who can take responsibility for and manage their care themselves - self inject, take samples, check status, regulate medication, share experiences on the Net, shop for care or treatments.

These changes will bring about a development of Swedish health care that will ridicule the doomsday prophesies of recent years. We live in times characterised by accelerating technical developments. It is not difficult to understand what this entails: increased productivity, greater range of offers, growth, better living standards. Look at Sweden today, and compare it with Sweden 50 years ago. Is there any reason to think that such progress will not continue?

Bo Dahlbom

A crucial moment for national IT strategy.

It's now or never!

The route of the national IT strategy has been mapped out with a time plan for prioritised initiatives, step-by-step technical implementation, and proposals for financing.

The politicians will decide on 22 September. And if they give the thumbs up, we'll go from talk to action.

"It's now or never," says Sören Olofsson, who has headed up the project.

Sören Olofsson, who is Director of Stockholm County Council, has chaired the working group that has produced an action plan for national collaboration in health care between the county councils and regions.

"Local councils have also been involved in the work. We've actually got all the officials behind us. Now the decision rests with the politicians," he says.

The action plan is based on the "National IT Strategy for Health Care" that was presented by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs at Vitalis last spring.

"You could say that it gave an indication of the direction to be taken. We then went on to draw up a structure, specify the areas to be prioritised, and produce a time plan and a cost estimate."

Sören Olofsson

NO BLANK AREAS ON THE MAP

The boards of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and the Federation of Swedish County Councils (now a jointly administered unit, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities & Regions) will make up their minds about the matter on 22 September. If they adopt the plan, each individual county council and local council will do the same.

"It's important for everyone to join in. We don't want any blank areas on the map," emphasises Sören Olofsson. If all goes according to schedule, the plan will be implemented this autumn. The timetable for the sub-projects up to 2010, is shown on the next page.

The total joint development costs of the county councils are estimated to be in the region of SEK 600 million spread over three years. The total joint annual costs for operation and administration from 2010 are estimated at SEK 4 billion. The linchpin of the action plan is the creation of a common technical infrastructure.

"Wherever the patient appears in the health care system, it will be possible to share information and access old information," says Sören Olofsson.

CONSENSUS ON REQUIREMENTS

Legislation must be modernised alongside the technical implementation, to ensure that IT security goes hand in hand with the requirements for confidentiality and personal integrity.

Göran Olofsson is optimistic on that score, and is not aware of any political disagreement on the matter.

"There's a solid consensus on the need for confidentiality and personal integrity. After all, it's ultimately about patient safety."

"And we are all patients, really. It's not at all difficult to imagine a situation in which we could need care away from our home area. And then we'd want a care provider with access to the best possible information about us as a patient."

One patient, one set of case notes, is and will remain an important goal. Getting there is a three-stage process:

"Firstly, it's about defining the needs of the patients and citizens. The next stage is producing tools that are appropriate to the requirements of the staff. These have to work from a technical point of view, and will also involve consensus on common terms and concepts, to ensure that everyone is using the same language. That's a very important part of the IT strategy. We hope to be there in two to three years," says Sören Olofsson.

"The third stage is about adapting legislation and creating reliable security systems, such as an identification system, to make sure that no unauthorised personnel can log in."

THE TIME IS RIPE

The process leading towards a common, national IT structure might appear to have taken an extraordinarily long time, especially in view of the fact that the computerisation of the health sector began 25-30 years ago.

"Well, everything doesn't happen at once. Computerisation created some form of order within some clearly defined units - hospitals, other care providers, and county councils, either wholly or partly."

"After which, it was seen that the need was even greater. And it's only now that the time is ripe for a well-planned national structure. So it's important to make the most of this opportunity," says Sören Olofsson.

Because the structuring of the health care and related sectors in Sweden is so decentralised, there is a special need to get together to inform people about the plan of action and discuss it. Sören Olofsson feels that this is where Vitalis plays an important role.

"Vitalis takes place at the end of March, which is perfect timing. By then we will have got a bit further and will be able to make a presentation and provide more detailed information about what's going to happen."

"Vitalis is also a tremendously valuable interface for all the national players involved in the IT strategy - from the Swedish Ministry of Health & Social Affairs and Apoteket to county and local councils. It will be an opportunity to exchange information and views and inspire each other to make new and vigorous efforts."

5th anniversary

Many enthusiasts from a wide range of companies and organisation have helped to mould our five-year-old event. Conference delegates, exhibitors, visitors and lecturers choose Vitalis as their forum and meeting place. They are all keen to help develop the event, and provide input on the programme and the exhibition. And their views are as diverse as they are many.

The dynamics and creativity generated by Vitalis show that it is an established event that people commit to. The first Vitalis saw 40 exhibitors on 600 square metres net exhibition area. The latest event, Vitalis 2006, hosted some 70 exhibitors on more than 1,000 square metres.

Current interest in Vitalis 2007 is tremendous - exhibitors, both old and new, want to showcase their companies and products, meet decision-makers and do business during this busy, three-day event in March! And as part of our anniversary celebrations, we will spotlight the companies that have exhibited at all five events!

Who would be your candidate for a SEK 25,000 prize?

The aim of the Vitalis Awards is to foster and stimulate the development of IT solutions in health care. Two prizes of SEK 25,000 will be awarded to a local council representative and a county council/regional representative respectively.

In 2006, the local council prize was received by Sirpa Pakarinen on behalf of a group from the Swedish township of Solna. The prize was awarded in recognition of the way the group had developed and implemented computer support for quality assurance in the home-help service.

Anette Jacobsson and Birgitta Magnusson, Work Focused Rehabilitation, Psychosis Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, won the county council/regional prize for their work in developing and implementing a hand-held computer for use in work rehabilitation by people with psychotic illnesses.

The Vitalis Awards are the result of collaboration between Vitalis and Tieto Enator Healthcare & Welfare.

SEND IN THE NAME/S OF YOUR CANDIDATE/S TO:
Eva Martinsson, Vitalis, Svenska Mässan, SE-412 94 Göteborg, Sweden

Read more on: www.vitalis.nu

VITALIS PROJECT TEAM 2007

	EVA MARTINSSON/EXHIBITION MANAGER eva.martinsson@swefair.se +46 31 708 82 40
	PIA MOOIJ/COORDINATOR/SALES pia.mooij@swefair.se +46 31 708 82 21
	HÅKAN MAGNUSSON/SALES hakan.magnusson@swefair.se +46 31 708 86 49