The COVIRNA session at EHMA 2022 highlights the potential of innovative diagnostic tools
On Friday, 17 June, the COVIRNA project hosted a session at the EHMA 2022 Annual Conference titled ‘The potential of innovative diagnostic tools: personalised disease management for improved health outcomes in COVID-19 patients’. The session looked at the impact and benefits of the adoption of novel diagnostic tools. In particular, it explored how health managers can help design patient-centred care pathways and create enabling environments for the uptake of innovative tools such as COVIRNA.
The session speakers were:
– Dr Yvan Devaux, Head of the Cardiovascular Research Unit at Luxembourg Institute of Health (Luxembourg) and COVIRNA Project Coordinator;
– Prof Damien Gruson, Chief of Department of Laboratory Medicine of the St-Luc Hospital (Belgium);
– Mr Ed Harding, Director of the Heart Failure Policy Network and Managing Director of The Health Policy Partnership (United Kindom); and
– Prof Sandra Buttigieg, Head of Department Health Systems Management and Leadership at the University of Malta (Malta).
The session was moderated by Ms Anett Ruszanov, Director of Policy and Programmes at EHMA, Belgium.
The session opened with an address by Dr Yvan Devaux who provided an overview of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) and of the COVIRNA project. Dr Damien Gruson, presented the current management of cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients. Prof Sandra Buttigieg shared the perspective of health management and leadership on innovation development and uptake in healthcare. Mr Ed Harding spoke about the potential of innovative diagnostics for the management of cardiovascular diseases.
The session highlighted the need to consider quality, costs, safety, efficiency, and outcomes as the primary factors in innovation development and adoption, as these will define how patients’ needs are met. For innovation in healthcare to be successful, health managers need to take into account the needs, wants and expectations of all stakeholders. Lastly, health managers need not only embrace transformational leadership but leadership agility to facilitate the uptake of innovative solutions in healthcare, such as the COVIRNA solution.
“Aiming to inform a wide range of experts from fields as diverse as biology, medicine, policy and regulation, Prof Sandra Buttigieg, Prof Damien Gruson, Mr Ed Harding and I presented the COVIRNA Innovation Action supported by the European Commission. This Action aims to develop a prognostic test to tailor the healthcare of patients with COVID-19. Promoting such research initiatives to a wide audience is important to keep the population aware of endeavours aiming to improve healthcare. The COVIRNA session at the EHMA 2022 Annual Conference was also a great opportunity to make contacts with peers and plan future research activities.”
Dr Yvan Devaux, COVIRNA Project Coordinator
