The European Society of Cardiology (ESC), which is the world’s largest scientific society of cardiovascular professionals, is to hold the ESC Digital Summit on 5–6 October 2019 (Tallinn, Estonia). The summit will focus on the rapid evolution of digital technology and its impact on the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

Some 1,000 stakeholders are expected to attend the Summit, including digital developers, cardiologists, policymakers, patient advocates, entrepreneurs and experts from the life-sciences industry. The agenda will feature TED-style talks, United Nations-style panels, roundtable discussions and technology workshops. There will also be opportunities for participants to share ideas on how advances in technology can be safely and effectively applied to cardiology. Furthermore, there will also be an exhibition area where cutting-edge innovations will be on display.

The advent of technologies, including wearables, wireless mobile devices, artificial intelligence, big data, electronic medical records and social media are already transforming medicine and the doctor/patient relationship.

Martin Cowie, professor of Cardiology, Imperial College London, and chair of the ESC’s Digital Health Committee, comments: “There are technology innovators, from small start-ups to established giants, looking to develop the next big breakthrough in cardiovascular medicine. This Summit is for them.  This is the place to exchange ideas, receive precious feedback from leading cardiologists and develop essential connections.”

Panos Vardas, ESC chief strategy officer, comments: “It is not as simple as taking a technology off the shelf and popping it into a healthcare system and seeing the result. If we use a new drug or we use a new device, we want really strong evidence that it is effective. We need that same standard for new digital technologies. There are two questions to ask:  will it make a meaningful difference? And is that difference worth the expense?”