The idea behind the Government of Catalonia’s health strategy is to provide faster, smarter and more economical care. And to do that, it is launching a new mobile health initiative, mHealth.Cat. The project will facilitate access to mobile resources that can help the public to take care of their health. A web portal will act as a showcase, displaying a list of tools (mobile applications, telemonitoring devices, etc.) that are available to users. The project differs from other initiatives in that it is public – it forms part of a wider political commitment to transform the health system – and guarantees the reliability and high standard of the options that are provided. In other words, the project leaders select, evaluate and recommend resources depending on the results of their analysis.
This strategy creates a safe, reliable environment in which to choose between options of proven quality. In addition, the selection process is dynamic: if a tool fails to meet the established objectives, it can be replaced by another. New tools can be introduced if recommended by professionals and entities in the social services and health sector. The opinions of these professionals were taken into consideration in the creation of the Mobility Plan, which will be implemented by TICSalut. This government body is responsible for promoting the use of new technologies in the Catalan health sector, in collaboration with Mobile World Capital, a public-private partnership that brings together public institutions, over 800 telephone operators and around 200 companies in the mobile sector. Third-sector organizations and people who use the standard health care network will have free access to the platform.
The introduction of mobile technology in the health model
Mobile health care is a key factor in the process of creating a more effective, less expensive social services and health care model. New technologies can help to optimize monitoring of certain diseases online, aid compliance with drug regimens, increase patient power, facilitate information exchange between specialists, etc. Through opportunities offered by devices such as mobile phones and tablets, improvements in quality of life can be achieved, and the health system can be made more sustainable and more accessible. This is the general trend. The Mobility Plan, which has just been approved by the Government of Catalonia, is the first step in this direction. At the moment, it is also the only platform of its kind in Europe.