We were impressed by the Women’s Health stage literally at the center of the event. This is a great reminder that: “if you work in healthcare, you work in women’s health” as Kathrin Folkendt, the founder of Femtech Insider, likes to say.
An idea we loved for patient engagement: the "Ask Patients" lounge, where any conference participant can just walk in and ask a patient about anything. This is a great opportunity for start-ups and solution developers to get free and unbiased feedback from patients. This is an initiative by Savvy Cooperative, the first patient-owned cooperative for patient insights.
A patient-only panel on digital health adoption: probably the first time that we’ve seen on stage an all-patients panel on digital health. This panel was rich in learnings in do's & dont's in UX, tone of voice and first-time user experience:
- As one patient shared, the goal is “to develop a solution that makes me feel seen and appreciated”
- It’s critical to always consult patients throughout the development of digital health solutions. One can’t assume that they know all the struggles patients are going through
- Let patients "help you help them"!
The Art Gallery was a (re)treat in this busy environment, displaying art from patients and healthcare professionals, and with creative workshops for conference participants to take a break.As it turned out, we remembered better connections made at the art workshops than in regular networking meetings!
A new take on patient engagement: Cecilia Olsson shared how her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment unlocked new creative pursuits, but also transformed her career. She brings her patient experience into her work purpose at GE Healthcare, where she’s now working on the female health portfolio. When we talk about patient engagement in healthcare, patients are often considered as 'outsiders' stakeholders to be engaged with… should the path forward be with ‘insider-patient’?
Curious to join next year?
- Next edition for HLTH Europe: 16 - 19 June 2025
- RAI Convention Centre, Amsterdam
