International spotlight on Wales’ health IT

Experts from around the world are to gather in Cardiff later this month for a conference focused on the development of health and information technology in Wales. 

The invitation-only conference, IAG 2007 on 20-21 September will be hosted by Informing Healthcare, the Welsh Assembly Government’s programme to improve patient care with the better use of information technology. 

Eight international specialists from Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA who form an International Advisory Group (IAG) will take time before the conference to review how the six main local health communities in Wales are progressing with their plans to improve services using information technology.

Part of the conference will be dedicated to presentations from the communities and feedback from the international experts on their meetings with local groups. 

An Informing Healthcare spokesperson said that the conference followed on from a similar meeting held last year in which the international experts reviewed the work of Informing Healthcare.

Information Healthcare chairman, Ian Kelsall, said: “Inviting international health IT experts to review what we are doing is a groundbreaking move for any nationally-focused programme.

“It is also an opportunity to showcase the progressive work going on in our local health communities under the Welsh health strategy, Designed for Life. It will confirm what we are doing well and if there are any areas we need to address.”

The spokesperson added: “Local health communities are working with people from Informing Healthcare, but the content is really down to them. They will decide what they want to showcase to the international panel.”

The conference will include also presentations from the IAG chair, Professor Denis Protti of Canada; Hal Wolf of US healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente; Brendan Kelly from the Ministry of Health in New Zealand and Informing Healthcare’s chief executive, Gwyn Thomas, who has also started a blog on the IAG website.