Month: August 2016

Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation Part 3

Digital Trends – Kendall Ho (UBC – Digital Emergency Medicine)Kendall Ho seemed very excited by the potential of emerging technologies, although the talk was more of a fly over than a dissection of practical application of IT in paediatric practice. But it did leave me with the idea that perhaps it could be an area that I ask more about. I’ve recently started routinely asking for a digital history when I meet patients, and I wonder if this should include a social media history, and a health app history. What’s your weekly average steps per day?

Key Points:

  • Patient engagement is facilitated by emerging technologies
  • There is a dialogue, or partnership in the application of health technologies between health providers and health clients, where patients and providers educate each other about new applications of tech.
  • Health related digital technology can facilitate equity
  • No digital genome without a digital phenome

Cool links: 

  • MindHealthBC, and the Australian corollary BeyondBlue and HeadSpace
  • This is my Food – Nutrition application (link is via CommonSense media review site)
  • I got this – Diabetes education app for children

IPA Session on Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation Part 2

A Pediatric Education Initiative for Global Impact – Kevin Forsyth

Kevin Forsyth proposed that in order get good implementation of the health related sustainable development goals, you need first to have good education, and that education in

Provision of high quality services for children requires a competent and motivated health workforce
Key Points:

  • You need a good workforce to implement the SDGs, and a good workforce needs coordinated support
  • The world needs a globally organised paediatric academic community – you can email Kevin to be a part of this…

Cool links:

IPA Session on Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation Part 1

Anthony Costello – The Knowledge GapAnthony Costello spoke about how the fact that it is not doctors, but a variety of other types of front-line health professionals who care for childhood illnesses around the world, means there needs to be a well integrated, efficient, and accountable program for delivering consistent neonatal and child health care around the world

Key Points:

  • How to reach marginalised populations
  • Need for accounaability in WHO and country level leadership
  • Empowerment and voice of women is important

Cool links:

IMNCI initiative http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/child/imci/en/

mHealth https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHealth

Cool quote:

“One person’s diversity is another person’s fragmentation”

IPA Plenary Session with Zulfi Bhutta

Zulfiqar Bhutta is the incoming president of the IPA, and has remains a consistently eloquent presenter on issues of global child health.

Main Points:

  • There is increasing evidence of the link between maternal, infant and child health
  • Our understanding of intergenerational transmission of violence needs more development
  • Statistics – need disaggregated data to demonstrate inequities within countries and communities
  • Road ahead is a long one – need to look at health not just within the health SDG but across all 17 SDGs

Cool links:

IPA Plenary Session with Richard Horton

Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet gave a passionate delivery in his overview of issues affecting the health of children internationally.

Key Points:

  • Child health organisations need to think and act politically to promote child health
  • Progress in Global Child Health initiatives are fragile and non-linear
  • Independent Accountability Panels will ensure continuity of progress in the Every Woman, Every Child movement in delivering on its goals, as opposed to the changing “signature policies” of governments and policy makers

Cool links:

Cool quotes:

“What is essential is invisible to the eye”