Hospital Clínic study reinforces patient participation as key to digital health innovation

Researchers at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, a member of EIT Health, have published new insights into how patient voices can be systematically embedded in the development of digital health solutions. Their work, recently featured in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, expands on the widely used Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) by integrating patient involvement at every stage of maturity — from ideation and early testing to validation and implementation.

This approach highlights how engaging patients directly helps ensure that digital innovations — such as mobile apps, telemedicine platforms, and AI-driven tools — are not only technically robust but also usable, acceptable, and impactful in real-world healthcare settings.

Laura Sampietro-Colom, Deputy Director of Innovation and Head of Assessment of Innovations at Hospital Clínic and co-author of the study, emphasised the importance of this approach: “If we want digital health tools to truly make a difference, patients must be involved from the very beginning. Their insights help shape solutions that respond to real needs, making them more likely to be adopted and deliver lasting value in healthcare systems.”

While the study centres on customising the TRL framework for patient inclusion, EIT Health has been advancing discussions on alternative approaches to measuring digital health maturity. The Innovation Maturity Levels (IML) framework was first introduced by CIMIT (Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology) in the US. EIT Health subsequently collaborated with CIMIT to enrich and translate the IML scale for different solution types, including digital health, and to embed a European perspective. The version adapted for digital health is most relevant for initiatives such as EDiHTA (an EU Project which aims to develop a framework for the assessment of digital health technologies) which similarly emphasise the importance of stakeholder engagement, including patients, as critical to the successful uptake of digital solutions.

Crucially, this work has direct relevance to Europe’s competitiveness in the global digital health landscape. By embedding patient perspectives and systematically assessing maturity through frameworks like IMLs, Europe can accelerate the development and responsible scaling of digital health solutions. This not only improves the sustainability of healthcare systems but also strengthens Europe’s position as a leader in health innovation — ensuring that European companies and institutions can compete with solutions coming out of the US and Asia.

Sampietro-Colom, who is also a key partner in pan-European projects EIT Health is involved with such as EDiHTA, underlined the shared vision: “By embedding patient perspectives into both research and innovation frameworks, we can accelerate the responsible adoption of digital health across Europe.”

By reinforcing the case for systematic patient participation, Hospital Clínic’s research complements ongoing European efforts — including EIT Health’s work on IMLs and the one being carried out by  EDiHTA — to make sure that health technologies are developed with, and not just for, the people who will use them. In doing so, these initiatives not only create more impactful solutions but also contribute to Europe’s strategic objective of maintaining a globally competitive, citizen-centred innovation ecosystem.

👉 Read the full study here: Journal of Medical Internet Research