Connectivity for healthcare and well-being management: examples from six European projects.
Technological advances and societal changes in recent years have contributed to a shift in traditional care models and in the relationship between patients and their doctors/carers, with (in general) an increase in the patient-carer physical distance and corresponding changes in the modes of access to relevant care information by all groups. The objective of this paper is to showcase the research efforts of six projects (that the authors are currently, or have recently been, involved in), CAALYX, eCAALYX, COGKNOW, EasyLine+, I2HOME, and SHARE-it, all funded by the European Commission towards a future where citizens can take an active role into managing their own healthcare. Most importantly, sensitive groups of citizens, such as the elderly, chronically ill and those suffering from various physical and cognitive disabilities, will be able to maintain vital and feature-rich connections with their families, friends and healthcare providers, who can then respond to, and prevent, the development of adverse health conditions in those they care for in a timely manner, wherever the carers and the people cared for happen to be.
Kamel Boulos
Maged N
MN
Faculty of Health and Social Work, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, Devon, UK. maged.kamelboulos@plymouth.ac.uk
Lou
Ricardo Castellot
RC
Anastasiou
Athanasios
A
Nugent
Chris D
CD
Alexandersson
Jan
J
Zimmermann
Gottfried
G
Cortes
Ulises
U
Casas
Roberto
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy; D005060:Europe; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D017216:Telemedicine; D013686:Telemetry; D014584:User-Computer Interface