Technology and artificial intelligence are key to the democratization of medicine, as well as to the design and development of more efficient healthcare management policies. This was underlined by the experts who participated in the meeting on technology and digital health of the series “Spanish healthcare looking to the future” organized by the Economía y Salud Foundation and the Ortega-Marañón Foundation.
Although progress has been made in digitalisation, according to the SEIS index, the percentage of investment in healthcare ICT in Spain remains low. In 2023, 1.17% of the global healthcare system budget was dedicated, while OECD countries invest approximately between 4% and 7% of the total healthcare budget in these technologies.
“Without a doubt, technology contributes to better development of clinical treatments and diagnoses. Not only for the tools it incorporates, but also for the increase and exchange of information it generates between professionals and patients,” explained Alberto Giménez Artés, president of the Economía y Salud Foundation. He also underlined the importance of “carrying out an adequate evaluation of technologies and allocating resources to needs in order to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations or bring forward discharge for home care”.
For Dr. Fernando Bandrés, director of the Marañón Study Center, “the speed of change and technological transformation is the present, which is why we must be agile in modernizing our healthcare system”. Along the same lines, José Ignacio Nieto, coordinator of the cycle and member of the Scientific Committee of the Economy and Health Foundation, underlined that “healthcare has no future if it does not pass through digital health, and this has no development if it does not pass through digital health ”. through artificial intelligence (AI) and ICT”.
Precisely on artificial intelligence, the inaugural conference by Ignacio Hernández Medrano, founder of Savana and neurologist at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, focused on the analysis of the challenges that our healthcare system must face to improve its capacity for modernization and digitalization of the system. “Artificial intelligence is fundamental to the democratization of access to clinical data and is completely changing the way we understand medicine,” reflects the expert.
Grupo Quirón’s Director of Systems and ICT, Ángel Blanco, announced the results of the “MiQuirónSalud” mobile app and how its implementation makes the patient’s digital journey effective with the help of professionals. The objective of this tool is to unite the entire hospital network and health centers of the Quirón Group in Spain. “We are facing the greatest change in history. When technology consolidates it becomes invisible and we move from volume medicine to value medicine. The future is not that we will have a lot of patient data, but that patients will have a lot of our (and theirs and others’) data, Blanco stressed.
In the second success story, Isabel Sastre, deputy director of Systems and ICT and Innovation Coordinator, and Virginia Hernández, area medical specialist at the Fundación Alcorcón University Hospital, presented the Clinical Data and Artificial Intelligence Platform of the Fundación Alcorcón University Hospital .
This initiative seeks innovation both in the area of information and patients and in research. Sastre explained that the tool allows you to “unify data” making it easier to exploit it to make it available for use in research projects. From this research perspective, Hernández highlighted this “great potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of data collection for clinical research” before showing various cases where it has been used. Write
Interview between Time.news Editor and Dr. Fernando Bandrés
Time.news Editor: Welcome, Dr. Bandrés! It’s a pleasure to have you with us today. You recently participated in a significant meeting focused on the future of Spanish healthcare and the role of technology. Could you help us lay out the current landscape regarding healthcare investment in technology in Spain?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: Thank you for having me! Yes, the landscape is somewhat concerning. While we’ve made strides in digitalization, the SEIS index shows that only 1.17% of Spain’s healthcare budget is dedicated to ICT—that’s alarmingly low compared to the 4% to 7% invested by OECD countries. This gap signals a pressing need for our healthcare sector to allocate more resources toward technology.
Time.news Editor: That indeed sounds troubling. What do you believe are the main benefits technology can bring to our healthcare system?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is vital for enhancing clinical treatments and diagnoses. It not only facilitates advanced tools but also fosters better communication and information exchange between healthcare professionals and patients. This improved network is essential for timely interventions, better care coordination, and even for minimizing unnecessary hospitalizations.
Time.news Editor: You mentioned the necessity of modernization in our healthcare system. What challenges do you foresee in that journey?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: One of the biggest challenges is the speed of technological progress. We need to be agile and adaptable to incorporate innovations swiftly. Additionally, we must address the resistance to change within the system—often, traditional practices can be hard to shift, even when digital health offers evident benefits.
Time.news Editor: Fascinating insights! At the meeting, you referenced the vital role of digital health in shaping the future of healthcare. Can you elaborate on that?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: Absolutely. Digital health is not just a supplementary aspect of healthcare; it is foundational to its advancement. As José Ignacio Nieto pointed out, without robust integration of digital tools, we cannot expect healthcare to evolve effectively. The incorporation of artificial intelligence and ICT is essential for developing more efficient healthcare management policies.
Time.news Editor: Speaking of artificial intelligence, Ignacio Hernández Medrano highlighted its transformative nature in understanding medicine. How do you envision AI contributing to democratizing access to healthcare?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: AI holds the potential to drastically lower barriers to clinical data access. This democratization is crucial—it allows us to provide equitable healthcare to diverse populations, ensuring that vital information isn’t just available to a select few but is accessible to everyone, regardless of their location or socio-economic status.
Time.news Editor: It all sounds incredibly promising. What are the next steps Spain can take to ensure that technology and AI have the desired impact on healthcare delivery?
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: First, we need a substantial increase in funding for healthcare technology. Alongside financial investment, we must actively work on training healthcare professionals in these new technologies. Creating a culture that embraces digital health innovation will also be critical. Ultimately, fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors can lead to the creation of robust frameworks that support sustainable growth in this area.
Time.news Editor: Thank you, Dr. Bandrés, for sharing your perspectives. It’s clear that while challenges exist, the path forward is filled with potential for massive improvements in Spanish healthcare.
Dr. Fernando Bandrés: Thank you for having me. I’m excited for the future, and I hope that together we can realize the full benefits of technology in medicine.