Health System 4.0 - The Voice of the Patient

Use Case is part of the DEUTSCHLAND 4.0 Challenge

Status Quo

Strengthening patient-oriented health care:

The structure of the German health care system means that the services to be provided to insured citizens must be determined by a committee of experts: the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is made up of representatives of the medical profession (KBV), hospitals (DKG) and the statutory health insurance system (GKV-SV), while patient representatives, who are politically appointed but do not have the right to vote, cannot effectively bring the preferences of the patients concerned into the decision-making process. ​

 The informed patient wants to participate: Not only in the choice of treatment options, but also in the basic orientation and further development of the range of services offered, the needs of patients and the insured with whose money the system is financed should be taken into account in a better way.  ​

 Better acceptance and user-friendly formats: Particularly with regards to the new possibilities offered by digital health services and telemedicine, the preferences of patients and the insured should be taken into account to a greater extent in order to ensure later use and acceptance. ​

 Individual health management: More and more people are leading a health-conscious life, for example through targeted nutrition and exercise. They should be encouraged to do so. The health care system should therefore be developed more strongly from a focus on health care towards health promotion and prevention - in line with the interests of the insured. ​

 Health policy increasingly important for citizens: Last but not least, the Corona Pandemic has highlighted the importance of health care. Health policy decisions have gained in importance, and their implementation requires greater transparency and greater involvement of the addressees of these policies. ​

Structural challenges of patient organizations: Due to the severity of their illness, acutely affected or chronic patients generally have neither the capacity nor the financial means to articulate their concerns and needs effectively and sustainably with policymakers. Although there are well-organized and highly professional patient organizations with contacts in the political arena, these often represent only certain clinical pictures and the patients themselves do not always have a say (due to the structure). ​

Pharma interest: Patient preferences can inform drug development and improve clinical study settings, as well as complement and further develop drug evaluation criteria.

Question

The status quo raises the question of particular relevance to health policy and patient satisfaction:

How can a digital platform help to better understand the needs and preferences of patients (or the insured in general) and make them available for political and self-governing health policy decisions? How can the exchange between citizens and health policy makers be promoted?

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