Managing COVID-19 in a perfect world

Bogi Eliasen, director of health at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and HIMSS Future50 leader, has written about all the existing technology that is not put to use, how the implementation of technical solutions always stands on hold, and how everything takes a new shape in the world of COVID-19.

What follows is a small excerpt, the rest of the article can be found at: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/europe/managing-covid-19-perfect-world

Bogi Eliasen on managing COVID-19 in a perfect world

How far could we have been in managing the pandemic if we used the digital tools available earlier asks Bogi Eliasen.

Many countries have been caught off guard by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In every way possible they are trying to gain control over a public health crisis of unprecedented scope and scale., and we are rooting for success for one and all. The purpose of this blog is not to look in hindsight and proclaim: This could have been done better. Rather, the objective is to look forward to the other side of this pandemic and be thankful for the rapid evolutions that  medicine, technology, data mining, genomics, IoT, artificial intelligence, and big data have undergone, and, more importantly, to make sure that we remember to use the possibilities.

If we had implemented all available tech in a cooperative manner with a focus on achieving the best possible outcome and value, would we then have been better prepared and possibly been capable of fending off both the health and financial crises caused by COVID-19? One of my mantras in the last couple of years has been: We are not lacking technology – we are lacking decisions.

We have pushed this important message forward in a number of initiatives and networks such as Nordic Health 2030, Future Proofing Health, HIMSS Future50, and will discuss in more detail during a webinar on 4 May too.

Read the rest of the article here.