Niilo Saranummi
| Personal Health Record and Value-Based Healthcare |  |
| Niilo Saranummi | |
| Research Professor, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland |
Abstract
PHR’s and PHR based services will be an important tool in reforming healthcare. What we are aiming at is to contribute towards the creation of a health service environment where citizens have the possibility and means to take charge of managing their own health and care in partnership with healthcare professionals. In this environment citizens are genuinely active and equal partners in managing their health and care. In this equal partnership it is understood and accepted that whereas healthcare professionals are experts in healthcare related issues citizens are experts in how they lead their lives, what life styles they adopt and what choices they make. The presentation structure is the following: First a look at what is driving health reform concluding with the need to make “value” the first priority. Then the role of citizens and patients in the value drive: They must be empowered to act as co-producers in cooperation with healthcare professionals. Lastly, the role of the PHR and services based on the PHR will be elaborated.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Niilo Saranummi received his D.Tech. degree in biomedical engineering at Tampere University of Technology in 1976. He is currently research professor in health technology at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. His research interests include personal health systems and eHealth, and innovation, technology transfer and technology policy setting in health technologies. He has participated in various roles into appr. 40 EU-funded projects in the area of ICT and health. He is co-founder and chair of HL7 Finland since 1996. He was Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions of Information Technology in Biomedicine (2002-2007). He chairs the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE) 2009 – 2012. He chairs IEEE / EMBS’s TC on Information Technology for Health. He has served as President of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM) and European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science (EAMBES). He is a Fellow of Finnish Academies of Technology, International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE), American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and IEEE. He was the recipient of the Otto Schmitt award of IFMBE in 2006.
