Transfer of innovation on allergic rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity in the elderly (MACVIA-ARIA) - EIP on AHA Twinning Reference Site (GARD research demonstration project)

The overarching goals of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) are to enable European citizens to lead healthy, active and independent lives whilst ageing. The EIP on AHA includes 74 Reference Sites. The aim of this study was to transfer innovation from an app developed by the MACVIA-France EIP on AHA reference site (Allergy Diary) to other reference sites. The phenotypic characteristics of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity in adults and the elderly will be compared using validated information and communication technology (ICT) tools (i.e. the Allergy Diary and CARAT: Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test) in 22 Reference Sites or regions across Europe. This will improve the understanding, assessment of burden, diagnosis and management of rhinitis in the elderly by comparison with an adult population. Specific objectives will be: (i) to assess the percentage of adults and elderly who are able to use the Allergy Diary, (ii) to study the phenotypic characteristics and treatment over a 1-year period of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity at baseline (cross-sectional study) and (iii) to follow-up using visual analogue scale (VAS). This part of the study may provide some insight into the differences between the elderly and adults in terms of response to treatment and practice. Finally (iv) work productivity will be examined in adults.

The European Institute for Innovation through Health Data

The European Institute for Innovation through Health Data (i~HD, www.i-hd.eu) has been formed as one of the key sustainable entities arising from the Electronic Health Records for Clinical Research (IMI-JU-115189) and SemanticHealthNet (FP7-288408) projects, in collaboration with several other European projects and initiatives supported by the European Commission. i~HD is a European not-for-profit body, registered in Belgium through Royal Assent. i~HD has been established to tackle areas of challenge in the successful scaling up of innovations that critically rely on high-quality and interoperable health data. It will specifically address obstacles and opportunities to using health data by collating, developing, and promoting best practices in information governance and in semantic interoperability. It will help to sustain and propagate the results of health information and communication technology (ICT) research that enables better use of health data, assessing and optimizing their novel value wherever possible. i~HD has been formed after wide consultation and engagement of many stakeholders to develop methods, solutions, and services that can help to maximize the value obtained by all stakeholders from health data. It will support innovations in health maintenance, health care delivery, and knowledge discovery while ensuring compliance with all legal prerequisites, especially regarding the insurance of patient's privacy protection. It is bringing multiple stakeholder groups together so as to ensure that future solutions serve their collective needs and can be readily adopted affordably and at scale.

Understanding the Role of Device Level Interoperability in Promoting Health - Lessons Learned from the SmartPersonalHealth Project

To summarize lessons learned from the European Commission (EC) co-funded project SmartPersonalHealth, a project to promote a greater understanding of the value of interoperability among Personal Health Systems (PHS) and between them and other eHealth systems, in the landscape of continuity of care and across multi-cultural environments in Europe.

Key concepts in PHS interoperability, challenges, barriers and benefits were discussed with stakeholders (policy makers, regulators, procurers, healthcare providers, health professionals, patient representatives, industry, researchers) in three consultation workshops and a final conference. The results were synthesized in final report to the European Commission.

The survey and analysis presented, which are designed to set the scene on the key requirements of device level interoperability within a context of using sensors, signals and imaging informatics in healthcare, set out key interoperability standards for PHS as provided for in the Continua Health Alliance Guidelines and explores further the need for wider organisational and regulatory aspects of interoperability.

Achieving interoperability of eHealth systems is a complex process involving various actors and challenges far beyond technical and standardisation issues. For harnessing the key benefits of PHS, any interoperability scenario needs to account for value-based business cases for all stakeholders involved. It must foresee to enable seamless and consistent data and information flows by integrating and mixing devices used by patients/consumers at home, for remote monitoring, for home hospitalisation and/or within the hospital.

Understanding the role of device level interoperability in promoting health - lessons learned from the SmartPersonalHealth Project

OBJECTIVES

To summarize lessons learned from the European Commission (EC) co-funded project SmartPersonalHealth, a project to promote a greater understanding of the value of interoperability among Personal Health Systems (PHS) and between them and other eHealth systems, in the landscape of continuity of care and across multi-cultural environments in Europe.

METHODS

Key concepts in PHS interoperability, challenges, barriers and benefits were discussed with stakeholders (policy makers, regulators, procurers, healthcare providers, health professionals, patient representatives, industry, researchers) in three consultation workshops and a final conference. The results were synthesized in final report to the European Commission.

RESULTS

The survey and analysis presented, which are designed to set the scene on the key requirements of device level interoperability within a context of using sensors, signals and imaging informatics in healthcare, set out key interoperability standards for PHS as provided for in the Continua Health Alliance Guidelines and explores further the need for wider organisational and regulatory aspects of interoperability.

CONCLUSION

Achieving interoperability of eHealth systems is a complex process involving various actors and challenges far beyond technical and standardisation issues. For harnessing the key benefits of PHS, any interoperability scenario needs to account for value-based business cases for all stakeholders involved. It must foresee to enable seamless and consistent data and information flows by integrating and mixing devices used by patients/consumers at home, for remote monitoring, for home hospitalisation and/or within the hospital.

The SHARE road map: Healthgrids for biomedical research and healthcare

The HealthGrid White Paper was published at the third annual conference in Oxford in 2005. Starting from the conclusions of the White Paper, the EU funded SHARE project (http://www.eu-share.org) has aimed at identifying the most important steps and significant milestones towards wide deployment and adoption of healthgrids in Europe. The project has defined a strategy to address the issues identified in the action plan for European e-Health (COM(2004).356) and has devised a roadmap for the major technological and ethical and legal developments and social and economic investments needed for successful take up of healthgrids in the next 10 years. A "beta" version of the road map underwent full review by a panel of 25 prominent European experts at a workshop in December 2007. The present document is an executive policy summary of the final draft road map. It has sought to reconcile likely conflicts between technological developments and regulatory frameworks by bringing together the project's technical road map and conceptual map of ethical and legal issues and socio-economic prospects. A key tool in this process was a collection of case studies of healthgrid applications.