The European mHealth Knowledge and Innovation Hub was established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and the Ministry of Health of Andalusia, Spain, in order to support the integration of mobile health (mHealth) services into the national health systems of European countries.
The mHealth hub started as a European Commission funded project for collecting and disseminating research and experiences related to the large-scale implementation of mHealth programmes. The project built on the success of the Be Healthy Be Mobile joint initiative between WHO and ITU in scaling up evidence-based digital health solutions in the areas of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Hub was operated by a powerful and skilful consortium of 17 public and private partners from 12 European countries led by the Andalusian Public Health System.
The Hub collected, assessed and consolidated existing information in priority areas, resulting in many valuable hub resources and, most importantly, in a significant learning about and understanding of the landscape. The mHealth Hub produced a set of Knowledge Tools that focused primarily on prevention and management of NCDs and provided advice and guidance on large-scale implementation of mHealth services and interventions. The Hub investigated the assessment and adoption of the mHealth applications from a cross-border perspective.
The Hub also set the grounds of a policy platform to strengthen the adoption of mobile technology in European national and regional health systems. Another objective for the project was to build capacity in the Hub to support European Members States and regions in setting up large-scale and integrated mHealth programmes. Close collaboration with national policy makers in target countries took place to provide them with tailored support meeting local needs and capacities.
The Hub is built as a platform for sharing knowledge and success stories on mHealth. Increasingly, the aim was to open up the European mHealth Hub project to a much wider scope and community.
Over the long term, the Hub is expected to become an independent and self-sufficient entity, which will keep providing support for countries and regions to scale up their own national mHealth services. The Hub is expected to become a strategic resource for the development of safe, effective and accessible mHealth solutions.
As such In 2023, the Hub is now ready for its next challenge – its transformation from a project to a service. The WHO and ITU remain the hub owners, and I~HD, EHTEL and Oulu Health have taken over the Hub’s transformation and operation. Together with the WHO and the ITU, the three organisations make up the Strategy Board of the mHealth Hub.
As part of this transformation process, the hub is taking stock of the valuable resources and community of followers developed during the project phase. The Hub is reaching out to a larger mHealth and digital health community as well as potential partners.
Aims
The mHealth Hub main aims are:
To serve as a knowledge focal point for implementation of Digital Health, and in particular mHealth, innovations.
To act as facilitator of innovation in mHealth.
To act as an accelerator for the EU Digital Single Market.
To provide a code of ethics for mHealth data.
To support countries in implementing mHealth strategies.
In the Hub’s first year of work after its re-launch, hub members will explore ways to expand and grow the hub services, members, and partners in a sustainable way. The focus for 2023-2024 will be on engaging the mHealth community in:
Developing a common understanding of selected topics of high interest for the community (i.e. reimbursement schemes, clinical value assessment, integration into eHealth systems)
Sharing the results of the hub’s work with the community at large
Building partnerships towards the transformation of the hub into an information access point.
Leading Institutions
Operated by
EHTEL (European Health Telematics Association)
INTERNATIONAL
European multi-stakeholder organisation that brings together organisations and individuals engaged in eHealth, seeking to transform healthcare practice through digitalisation.
i~HD (European Institute for Innovation through Health Data)
INTERNATIONAL
European not-for-profit body that tackles areas of challenge in the successful scaling up of innovations that rely on high quality and interoperable health data.
OuluHealth Ecosystem
FINLAND
OuluHealth facilitates close cooperation that drives innovation, boosts the healthtech business and supports the implementation of better healthcare services.
Other participants
Campania Region
ITALY
Regional public body responsible for planning and organising the Campania regional health system, including the coordination and planning of digital health interventions.
Empirica GmbH
GERMANY
Research and consultancy firm specialising in ICT and digital transformation, offering a broad portfolio of services to both the private and public sectors.
Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d.
CROATIA
Croatian ICT company associated with the Ericsson Group. Experts in digital health platforms, health service design and e2e digital health services deployment.
Foundation Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol – Connected Health Cluster
ESTONIA
Country-wide partnership among health-related stakeholders in Estonia (70+ partners), committed to accelerating the adoption of connected health solutions.
Dom Zdravlja Zagreb – Centar (Health Care Zagreb – Centar)
CROATIA
Largest provider of primary healthcare services in Croatia. They also develop educational and preventive activities for different audiences.
HL7 International Foundation
INTERNATIONAL
Not-for-profit standards developing organisation that provides a comprehensive framework for exchanging, integrating, sharing and retrieving eHealth information.
MDOG (Mijn Data Onze Gezondheid)
THE NETHERLANDS
Not-for-profit organisation that aims to enhance the power of citizens to manage their own health data, in pursuit of the wellbeing of themselves and of the society at large.
Spanish Ministry of Health - Ministerio de Salud
SPAIN
Maximum responsible body for health in Spain, in charge of proposing and implementing the Government’s policy on health and strategic planning.
Osakidetza (Basque Health Service)
SPAIN
Public organisation managing the regional health services, with strong interest in incorporating ICT to the healthcare.
PCHA (Personal Connected Health Alliance)
INTERNATIONAL
Not-for-profit innovation company committed to improving health behaviours and chronic disease management via connected health technologies.
ProMIS (Programma Mattone Internazionale Salute)
ITALY
Institutionalised network of Italian regions to promote cooperation on themes identified as the main topics by the central, regional and local administrations.
Jämtland Härjedalen Region
SWEDEN
County Council with responsibility for primary and secondary healthcare, and regional development. An eHealth centre has been created to speed up eHealth developments.
SPMS (Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde, Shared Services for Ministry of Health)
PORTUGAL
National eHealth regulatory entity and coordinator, developer, and integrator of services related to digital health in Portugal.
University of Agder
NORWAY
One of the newest universities in Norway, with more than 11,000 students. Research is the foundation of all its teaching activities and covers a wide variety of disciplines.
University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien
AUSTRIA
Austria’s largest purely technical university for applied sciences. The courses are based on a solid scientific foundation and are also practice-oriented.