Dr. Petra Wilson’s speech

My Health - meeting the challenges of making eHealth personal

Dr. Petra Wilson, bachelor in Law (University of Keele, UK) and  PhD in Public Health Law (University of Oxford, UK)is Deputy Director of the European Health Management Association, a membership organisation committed to improving healthcare in Europe by raising standards of managerial performance in the health sector. Dr. Petra has an academic background in public health law and has published widely on health matters.

Her presentation at Panel 3 - eHealth and ePatient: a new health culture will be based upon and illustrated through a story-scenario entitled “Steps in an eHealth Journey” which explores the journey of one woman who seeks health related information on the internet and then makes use of eHealth enabled services to get the most out of health care system.

To Dr. Petra, a truly responsive and patient centred eHealth system should be a target for all - not just for the fortunate ones who have access to the internet at home and whose healthcare providers have the financial and organisation support to make best use of available eHealth tools and services. We must ensure that eHealth overcomes social exclusion, not widen the divide even further. eHealth strategies and policies which seek to make healthcare more personalised must address the challenges of accessibility to eHealth for all, equitable distribution of eHealth services and sustainability of eHealth across the social range.