Digital Health

Digital Health 2033:

Trends, Scenarios and Theses 

The whitepaper on the Foresight process to identify the key trends in the field of “Digital Health” and derive corresponding market and research requirements from them. [in German only]

Download whitepaper [PDF in German]

How can we support you? We address the most important topics and problems and offer individual solutions for you:

• How can data be networked and used optimally?
  
  
• How to digitalize personalized medicine?
  
  
• Which security aspects are essential when handling data

Data set the pace: The basis for tomorrow’s medicine

Smartphones and portable sensors (so-called “wearables”) have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Along with numerous other sources, they provide valuable health data, which form the basis of digital health and can offer relevant added value for medical progress. This includes, for example, data from imaging techniques and routine data recorded electronically in clinical practice.

In order to use the potential of data efficiently, important prerequisites must be observed. Privacy must be protected when collecting and processing data by complying with applicable data protection regulations. At the same time, it is crucial to consider interoperability standards in order to be able to build a functioning infrastructure with health data. Finally, it is important to create trust in the results of data analyses and to strengthen competencies in the use of health data.

This is exactly where we support you with our expertise and technical solutions in the field of data science!

Dependable AI: Dependable use of Artificial Intelligence and data

The prerequisite for the use of Artificial Intelligence is the availability of health data. The areas of application range from drug development to precision medicine. The advantages are obvious: AI is extremely cost-effective, is always ready to use, and can process data volumes that far exceed human comprehension. And yet it is not infallible.

Several factors pose a challenge when using AI: a distorted or missing data basis, the analysis methods used, and a lack of competence in the use of health data. In digital health, wrong decisions are associated with considerable risks. To minimize the risk to life and limb, it is important to provide adequate safety assurance for AI systems. This is exactly how we envision tomorrow’s medicine: digital, networked, and safe.

We design dependable AI systems for critical areas of application and pass on our expertise in training courses.

Further information on Artificial Intelligence and data management

• Focus topic “Dependable AI”
  Using dependable AI systems safely in critical areas of application
  
  
• Service “Data & Analytics”
  Using the potential of data and applying it efficiently with Artificial Intelligence
   

• Blog post “AI in Medicine” [in German]
  Exploiting the potential of Artificial Intelligence and evaluating data in an automated manner
   

• Seminar: Data Scientist Basic Level (certified) [in German]
  Teaching data competencies for the analysis and processing of health data
   

• Seminar: Data Scientist Specialized in Assuring Safety (certified)
  Expert knowledge on safety assurance for Artificial Intelligence in safety-critical areas

Digital health made possible through networked structures

A Digital Ecosystem in the healthcare sector links digital technologies and data. It comprises several components such as electronic patient records, telemedicine, health apps, wearables, and other digital healthcare solutions. In a healthcare ecosystem, synergy effects are generated from which all participants within the system benefit.

The aim is to improve the provision of healthcare and facilitate access to healthcare services. Platforms simplify the independent management of one’s own health data or communication with medical professionals. At the same time, personalized information on health status fosters prevention. Cross-sector communication between hospitals, pharmacies, health insurance companies, and the medical profession is also improved.
However, a digital healthcare ecosystem can also pose challenges. In addition to ensuring interoperability between different systems, the privacy and security of health data must also be protected.

We provide support in the careful planning, implementation, and regulation of Digital Ecosystems. This is the only way to maximize the benefits of networked structures and minimize the risks.

Read more about our solutions for Digital Ecosystems and data analytics

• Focus topic “Digital Ecosystems”
  Digital Ecosystems and platform economy in detail
   

• Service “Software and System Architecture”
  Development of system and software architectures and migration of legacy systems
   

• Whitepaper “Scalable Manufacturing of ATMPs” [in German]
  Core components for the standardized automated production of cell and gene therapeutics
   

• Blog post “Artificial Intelligence for Dispatch Centers and Situation Rooms” [in German]
  AI as decision and mission support in disaster management

Digital Twins in medicine: a virtual representation for personalized treatment

In the context of Industry 4.0, Digital Twins have already become established very successfully. What is new is their use in the healthcare sector with the aim of making personalized medicine more accessible.

Persons affected by diseases react differently to these diseases as well as to therapies. This can lead to misdiagnoses, side effects, or allergic reactions to a particular medication. The digital patient twin is a virtual representation of a sick person, based on individual health data. A Digital Twin can represent a person completely or only certain body parts and organ systems. This innovative approach has the potential to speed up early diagnosis as well as the development and testing of medicines. However, it is important to ensure that the confidential medical data of patients is protected.

Manufacturing of medical products in flexible production processes

Personalized medical products are undergoing dynamic development in clinical research, translation, and application. Innovative technologies are required to optimize the manufacturing of novel medicines to high standards. In addition to the digital patient twin, production processes and services can also be simulated in order to predict their behavior.

The high number of variants poses challenges for production systems. The manufacturing of innovative medical products currently consists of many manual sub-processes and is therefore very cost-intensive. Corresponding products are only available to a limited extent. A virtual test environment allows the development and production of active ingredients for medical products or vaccines to be automated. In addition, production can be modularized so that products can be manufactured cost-effectively and flexibly to “lot size 1”. In addition to compliance with high safety requirements for pharmaceutical products, quality assurance cases can also be recorded seamlessly across manufacturers.

We implement Digital Twins using, for example, Eclipse BaSyx and FERAL. We also use  dependable Artificial Intelligence to promote personalized medicine and digitalization in the healthcare sector. Talk to us!

Further information about our offers for simulations and virtual representations

• Focus topic "Digital Twin"
  Virtual representations and simulations in detail
  
  
• Solution "FERAL"
  The simulation framework for building virtual test environments
   

• Solution "Eclipse BaSyx"
  Implementation of Digital Twins with the help of Asset Administration Shells

Data sovereignty and data protection: retaining control and preventing misuse

Data and the exchange of data between platform, systems, and medical devices are crucial for digitalization in the healthcare sector. Confidential medical information is particularly sensitive and must not be compromised or even manipulated. It is therefore important to anonymize and protect health data in order to safeguard the privacy of affected individuals.

With our solutions, we support you in retaining and controlling data sovereignty. We also develop comprehensive security concepts to ensure the protection of confidential health data.

Security and safety: protection against unauthorized access by third parties

Targeted diagnostics and therapies are increasingly made possible by networked medical devices. This infrastructure must be protected to prevent unauthorized access, because cyber-attacks can also have considerable consequences for the health and lives of those affected.

Accordingly, regulation in this area is currently undergoing major changes: The EU’s NIS2 directive sets new standards in terms of cyber security. The area of medical care structures, manufacturers of medical supplies, and medical devices is classified as critical. Supply chains are also being considered and evaluated in terms of cyber security.

We contribute our competencies to make data platforms, systems, applications, and medical devices safe by design from the very beginning. With our concepts, we implement cyber security as early as the systems engineering phase. At the same time, we incorporate our safety engineering expertise. In this way, we ensure that the risk for life and limb does not exceed an acceptable level.

Our services in the area of security and safety

• Solution “MYDATA Control Technologies”
  Tracking and technically monitoring data usage
   

• Service “Security Engineering”
  IT security, data protection, and data sovereignty in detail
   

• Service “Safety Engineering”
  Safety assurance for safety-critical systems and devices

With our technological and methodological know-how, we can provide you with the best possible support in almost all aspects of this field. With our specialist departments, we cover a broad spectrum of knowledge and always find a suitable solution – also with the help of the large Fraunhofer network!

Who do we support?

We collaborate with health insurance companies and all service providers in the healthcare sector. We also support pharmaceutical companies in the production of medical products and contribute our know-how to medical technology.

Talk to us! We would be happy to discuss your requirements in a meeting at no obligation to you.