GMV launches health-focused knowledge forum called HealthTech Observer
GMV is launching the HealthTech Observer (HTO), a knowldege space that brings together professionals of note in the fields of technological and clinical innovation and research in wellness, healthcare, and health. The forum’s founding mission is to accelerate the uptake of digital technologies as tools for implementing patient-centered personalized and precise medicince, which is essential for the sustainability of healthcare systems.
The HealthTech Observer is intended as a specialized forum through which members of the healthcare ecosystem can share their experience in order to promote an omnichannel strategy for healthcare systems. This strategy integrates the various channels and players in healthcare systems (practitioners, managers, researchers, product and service developers) with current technology, in order to optimize resources and improve patient care.
It also has the essential support of the media, especially the one run by Spain’s National Association of Health Informants (ANIS). According to GMV Health Strategy Director, Carlos Royo Sánchez, “It’s crucial for society to be aware of the advances brought about by technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, both from a therapeutic point of view and in terms of patient monitoring, treatment adherence, illness prevention, and the early diagnosis of highly prevalent diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.”
This initiative is also in line with the company’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3, which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 9, which includes key aspects such as the promotion of technology, innovation, and research. To these ends, GMV is currently developing new digital healthcare solutions to aid prescription, monitoring, and decision-making, with a focus on omnichannel delivery and user experience. Likewise, in line with SDG 17, which focuses on forming partnerships to achieve the Goals, GMV is taking part in a number of consortium-driven research and digital innovation projects with Spanish and European hospitals, universities, and research centers. In order to spread scientific knowledge and generate objective, rigorous data, which constitute the mainstay of the HealthTech Observer, partnerships are being sought with renowned organizations, such as ANIS.
IORT to grow by 2025
The HealthTech Observer kicked off on 16 March with an event focusing on the benefits of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) when used in conjunction with other cancer therapies, namely significant improvements in the prognosis of brain, breast, and colon tumors, among others.
IORT is a cutting-edge form of radiotherapy used during surgical procedures to treat cancer. It targets the specific area where the cancer is located and blasts it with high doses of radiation, thereby treating cancerous tissue more precisely. It is especially useful for battling tumors in close proximity to vital organs and structures, as it lowers the risk of damage to healthy tissue.
Renowned radiation oncologists such as doctors Pedro Lara, Ferrán Guedea, and the first neurosurgeon to use IORT to treat gliobastomas, shared the latest advances in the application of IORT and the results of the TARGIT-A clinical trial, a long-term longitudinal study that has been tracking the progress of nearly 2,300 patients treated with IORT, in some cases for as many as 19 years.
Radiophysicist Miguel Ángel Infante also explained the decisive role of professionals like himself in oncology therapy, as well as planning by means of specialized solutions such as GMV’s Radiance, a pioneering and one-of-a-kind IORT planner.
The global intraoperative radiotherapy market is expected to see significant growth in the coming years due to the mounting prevalence of cancer and the demand for advanced treatments. According to the latest study published by MarketsandMarkets™, the market for intraoperative radiotherapy products will reach USD 66 million by 2025, with GMV ranking among the top 25 suppliers worldwide and in the top spot in Spain.
Improving access to healthcare and strengthening clinical data, tools, and services are objectives set by the European Union. Achieving them will require tools such as big data, AI, digital medical imaging, digitalized surgical procedures, data science, and remote healthcare practices (telehealth), all while respecting information security and data privacy. These topics will be discussed in future discussion forums as part of the HealthTech Observer.
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It aims to contribute to promote the omnichannel strategy for healthcare systems
It brings together healthcare practitioners, managers, researchers, and healthcare product developers who are in a position to improve how patient needs are met
It is committed to promoting digital technologies as facilitating tools in the application of personalized medicine and system sustainability