ICT for Societal Challenges - European Commission - Europa
ICT for Societal Challenges - European Commission - Europa
ICT for Societal Challenges - European Commission - Europa
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Living Healthy, Ageing Well<br />
Better quality of care means that people can enjoy longer and more independent<br />
lives. In<strong>for</strong>mation and communication technology (<strong>ICT</strong>) can contribute to make this<br />
happen as it supports the promotion of healthy lifestyles and effective care from<br />
an early age up to seniority. It can help provide<br />
better and cheaper services <strong>for</strong> health and ageing<br />
well <strong>for</strong> <strong>European</strong> citizens wherever they are.<br />
How? By giving online access to personal health<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation, by supporting prevention and early<br />
diagnosis, by enabling personalised therapies and<br />
by helping older adults live at home independently<br />
<strong>for</strong> more years, rather than in hospitals or care<br />
centres.<br />
Europe is ageing. In 2060, 30% of <strong>European</strong>s<br />
(172 million) will be over 65 (currently 17%). For<br />
every retired person there will be only 2 people<br />
working (the present ratio is 1:4). There will be<br />
an increasing shortage of professional and family<br />
carers and healthcare costs will rise sharply to<br />
9% of EU GDP. But there is also a huge potential <strong>for</strong> innovation and a growing market<br />
<strong>for</strong> healthcare and well-being products and services. Between 2008 and 2011, the<br />
healthcare sector created 2 million jobs, and the global telecare and telehealth<br />
market is <strong>for</strong>ecast to grow from € 7.6 to € 17.6 billion by 2015.<br />
Digital solutions to improve people’s quality of life can help respond at the same<br />
time to the demand <strong>for</strong> sustainable healthcare systems and the need <strong>for</strong> an ever<br />
competitive EU industry. To give an example, the introduction of <strong>ICT</strong> and telemedicine<br />
is estimated to improve efficiency of healthcare by 20%, improving at the same time<br />
the quality of life of patients, who become more and more active subjects in the<br />
definition and delivery of health services.<br />
6<br />
Technological innovation alone is not enough; organizational models and personal<br />
behaviours should also change. The first step is to put the people in the centre,<br />
empower them and reorganise health and social care around them. A second step is<br />
to ensure that we have the right people <strong>for</strong> the new emerging jobs, to develop new<br />
eHealth and assistive technologies, to create products and services and integrate them<br />
in the daily lives of millions of people. For that we need new skills and competencies.
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