During a well-attended event that was a follow-up to the Big Data & Health call on early detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the innovators and end users got in touch. It started with a short introduction of the overall research programme and an interview: Inge Schalkers of Harteraad, the association for people with cardiovascular diseases and Frans de Roy from Zuydewijn as end user (he is a member of the societal quality committee of the Dutch Heart Foundation). During the interview, it became clear how vital patient participation is for establishing a successful research programme. An excellent example was given about why the input of end users is important for the feasibility of the research ideas. In the case given, the research concerned could not be used well in daily practice and was therefore ended early. If the researcher had involved the end user when setting up the programme, these daily restrictions would have been detected earlier. Bearing this thought in mind, the follow-up meeting on 8 October was organised early in the setup phase of the research proposals.

In the Bartholomeus hospice in Utrecht –an event location and a nursing home– 50 end users and 15 project groups were welcomed. The group of 50 end users was a fair representation of patients, citizens and healthcare professionals.