Patient Monitoring Roundtable No. 3 | 2025: Digital participation for all – monitoring in a social context
Keynote by Katherine Kim.
Save the Date: The next roundtable will take place on May 22 at the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) – Topic: ”IT security and data exchange: building blocks for responsible patient monitoring”. Are you interested? Click here to register for participation on site or online!
The third Patient Monitoring Roundtable of the year took place on April 7, 2025 – this time with a focus on digital participation and the social dimensions of monitoring technologies. Under the title “Digital Inclusion for All: Monitoring and Social Implications”, experts from clinics, research and industry discussed how wearable technologies can be integrated into healthcare in a meaningful and equitable way – without disadvantaging or excluding vulnerable groups.
Rethinking digital supply: the ACTIVATE model 💡
Katherine Kim, Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Informatics at the University of California, Davis, opened the roundtable with an inspiring keynote. As founder and CEO of Health Tequity, she presented the ACTIVATE project – a practical model of digital care.
What sets ACTIVATE apart:
A consistently participatory approach: patients, relatives, caregivers and community health workers shape care together. The focus is on digital participation – supported by training resources, multilingual support and an app that also integrates non-tech-savvy users.
Technical linking of remote monitoring, a patient app, real-time dashboards and interfaces to health records. The results: an HbA1c reduction from 11.1% to 7.5%, a 20 mmHg systolic blood pressure improvement and cost savings of up to $326 per patient per month.
The model is scalable – for research, community projects and integrated care, including in Germany. The central message: digital care must empower, not exclude. ACTIVATE shows how this can be done – data-based, true-to-life and fair.
Workshops: Social dimension of wearables ⌚️
The keynote was followed by interactive workshops designed by Stephan Bethe with the aim of identifying challenges relating to social issues surrounding wearable monitoring technologies and jointly developing approaches for greater digital participation.
In part 1, the participants gathered experiences and hurdles – for example in relation to role changes for patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. Part 2 focused on concrete ideas: How can technologies be designed inclusively and social aspects strengthened despite digitalization?
The key findings from the workshop:
Digital participation is not a sure-fire success 🚧
Many people encounter obstacles when using wearables – be it due to a lack of digital skills, language barriers or limited access. Only through targeted support, language sensitivity and training can vulnerable groups also benefit from digital solutions.
Technology alone is not enough ⚠️
Monitoring can improve care, but without social embedding there is a risk of being overwhelmed – for example due to a flood of information, a lack of trust or unclear responsibilities.
Make targeted use of potential 🎯
Wearables offer great opportunities for prevention, empowerment and data-based care – provided they are introduced in a participatory manner and integrated into existing care structures in a meaningful way. When patients, relatives and professionals work together to shape care, practical, fair and effective solutions are created.
Become part of the PMRT online community! 🌐
The exchange continues! Our new PMRT Online Community will soon be launched – a platform for everyone who wants to actively shape patient monitoring and digital care.
Why take part?
💬 Exchange with experts from clinics, research & industry
📚 Access to exclusive content & events
🚀 Collaborate on concrete solutions for the care of the future
Become part of a committed community for innovation and collaboration in healthcare.
Apply now and actively shape the future!
Thanks and outlook 🚀
A big thank you to everyone who made this roundtable possible – especially to Katherine Kim for her inspiring keynote, to Stephan Bethe for designing the workshops and to IBMiX, namely Ingo Werren and Katina Sostmann, for their strategic and practical support!
The next round of the Patient Monitoring Roundtable will take place in May – we look forward to your participation! Click here to register.
The Patient Monitoring Roundtable is organized and conducted by INCH e.V. (Initiative for Innovation and Cooperation in Healthcare) in cooperation with the Institute for Medical Informatics at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. And special thanks go to our sponsors Masimo, Dräger and Philips, whose support makes the Patient Monitoring Roundtable possible in the first place.
