Innovation in healthcare, patient and public involvement and the translation of new ideas into clinical practice will be explored at the National Healthcare Outcomes Conference taking place at RCSI today.

The annual conference, hosted by the Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre (HORC) at the RCSI School of Population Health, will bring together speakers from across healthcare, research, policy and industry to examine how innovation can be developed, implemented and scaled to improve health outcomes.

Attendees will be welcomed by Professor Jan Sorensen, Director of the Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre, along with Ms Louise Duggan, Country Head of Value and Access at Novartis Ireland, a sponsor of the event.

Innovation in healthcare systems

In the first session of the day, moderated by broadcaster and science communicator Jonathan McCrea, experts will explore ‘Innovation in healthcare – how, who and where?’.
Professor Dipak Kalra, President of the European Institute for Innovation through Health Data, will discuss European innovations to support better monitoring of health outcomes.

Ms Emma-Jane Morgan, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, will examine the development of a national life sciences strategy, while Dr Tanya Mulcahy, Director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland, will outline how health innovation in Ireland is progressing from concept to clinical outcome.

A panel discussion will follow, providing further insight into the opportunities and challenges in advancing healthcare innovation.

Patient and public involvement

The second session, ‘Involving patients and public in innovation’, will focus on the importance of inclusive approaches to innovation.

Dr Adele Whelan, Economic and Social Research Institute, will present evidence on Ireland’s digital skills gap and its implications for access to innovation. This will be followed by Dr Liz Farsaci, Trinity Centre for Ageing and the Life Course in Intellectual Disability, who will explore the impact of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research, and Dr Mei Lin Yap, who will share lived experience perspectives.

The session will conclude with a discussion on how patient and public involvement can support more effective and equitable innovation.

Unlocking innovation in practice

The afternoon session, ‘Unlocking innovation’, will examine how innovation can be translated into real-world healthcare settings.

Dr Natalie Cole, Tallaght University Hospital, will discuss translating innovation to the frontline, followed by Mr Muhammad Umair, Midland Regional Hospital, who will address sustainability and surgical innovation in practice. Dr Eimear O’Leary, Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, will provide an industry perspective on driving innovation for improved health outcomes.

The conference will conclude with an address from RCSI President Professor Deborah McNamara, followed by closing remarks from Professor Sorensen.

Established in 2016, the Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre is dedicated to the development and dissemination of evidence-based research on healthcare outcomes that informs healthcare policy and improves patient outcomes.

The National Healthcare Outcomes Conference provides a forum for discussion on addressing healthcare challenges and exploring how innovation can impact policy, planning, service delivery and access to care.

This event is kindly supported by Novartis Ireland.