Inaugural Summit on Behavioral Telehealth: Technology for Behavior Change & Disease Management
Presented by The Center for Business Innovation (TCBI)
Date: May 31 - June 1, 2007
Location: Conference Center at Harvard Medical, Boston, Mass.
This inaugural meeting discussed advances in behavioral telehealth, including applications to promote wellness, change behavior and manage diseases. The program addressed the shift from traditional healthcare delivery to more consumer-driven approaches. The summit brought together included senior executives, clinical leaders, IT staff, and clinicians from across the continuum of care. Dr. Steven Locke, MD, Research Psychiatrist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; and Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, MIT, Program Chair of the Summit, designed the Summit to explore how emerging information technologies can support the integration of behavioral health into primary care and chronic disease management.
Highlights:
The summit included more than 40 speakers who presented topics such as computer-assisted behavioral assessment, screening and monitoring, online psychotherapy, treatment of depression and anxiety-related disorders, treatment of alcohol and substance disorders; tools for promoting patient adherence and for lifestyle and risk behavior change; web-based tools for addressing behavioral issues, decision-support and educational tools; and behavioral tools for enhancing self-management of medical conditions. In addition, attendees had the option of participating in one of two optional workshops:
- Technology Tools for Promoting Patient Self-Management and Shared Decision-Making
- Technology Tools for Public Health Preparedness and Response: Disasters, Terrorism, Pandemics and War
Take-Away Thoughts:
This was an excellent conference and raised the bar for all healthcare professionals to become better informed regarding the tools that technology has delivered and will continue to deliver to help us improve our practice and the quality of lives of the patients we are charged to oversee. Dr. Locke and his team are to be commended on a job well done and I look forward to learning about next years meeting. If you have questions about this topic, please email Dr. Locke at slocke@hms.harvard.edu.
