Strengthening post-acute care through digital health – PICS Symposium 2026 in Vienna
Many patients experience a critical transition to everyday life after hospital stays and rehabilitation – often marked by fragmented care and a lack of continuity. Under the title “Digital Health in Post-Acute Care – From Fragmentation to Integrated Care Pathways,” the PICS Symposium 2026 in Vienna brought these challenges into focus.
For many patients, the greatest challenge begins after discharge, through a combination of less guidance with greater personal responsibility. It is precisely in this phase that existing gaps become most visible. This is where digital health solutions can make a difference: by helping to bridge disruptions and support continuous care.
The symposium brought together perspectives from clinical practice, healthcare delivery, and system-level stakeholders, focusing on the reality of post-acute care in Austria. Discussions addressed both the challenges following discharge and the conditions required for digital solutions to be effective in everyday practice. Concrete examples illustrated how such approaches can already work in real-world settings.
A key focus was the DIGI4Care Project, which demonstrates how digital and AI-supported tools can strengthen patient-centered care pathways and enable connections across sector boundaries.
Held at the Future Health Lab Wien, the event benefited from an environment designed to foster exchange and collaboration. As an innovation hub, it connects stakeholders from research, clinical practice, administration, and industry to jointly develop future-oriented healthcare solutions.
One key takeaway was clear: post-acute care is not an “afterthought,” but a central component of healthcare. Digital health can play a significant role, provided that solutions are developed collaboratively with patients, healthcare professionals, and system partners.
