The conference took place in Riga on 11–13 May under the “eHealth Week 2015” which is the largest annual eHealth event in Europe and was organised by the Ministry of Health of Latvia, the National Health Service, the European Commission and in cooperation with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
The Conference can be considered as a success in term of participation, high quality of the speakers and presentations and engagement of all players: politicians, experts, managers, health IT professionals, health care professionals and providers, patients and other stakeholders. A total of 1334 participants (including 280 Ministerial conference participants) and 81 exhibitors from across Europe gathered in the Conference to exchange knowledge and share best practices as part of the annual eHealth Week and exhibition.
Apart from the conference, the Presidency held high level discussion regarding patient empowerment during the Working Lunch on 11 May 2015. Representatives of High Level delegations from the EU member states came together in order to discuss on actions and practical steps needed, how can governments can influence patient empowerment, encourage and engagement using technologies, especially the potential of mHealth for patient empowerment, prevention and ensuring the sustainability of healthcare systems.