title: Bringing eCare platforms to the market.
abstract: Due to changes in the demographic situation of most Western European countries, interest in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-supported care services is growing fast. eCare services that foster better care information exchange, social involvement, lifestyle monitoring services, etc., offered via ICT platforms, integrated in the homes of the elderly are believed to be cost-effective. Additionally, they could lead to an increased quality of life of both care receiver and (in)formal caregiver. Currently, adoption and integration of these eCare platforms (eCPs) is slowed down by several barriers such as unclear added value, a lack of regulations, or lack of sustainable financial models. In this work, the added value of eCPs is identified for the several involved key actors such as the care receiver, the (in)formal care providers, and the home care organizations. In a second step, several go-to-market strategies are formulated. Because the gap between the current way of providing home care and providing home care supported by a fully integrated eCP seems too big to bridge in one effort, a migration path is provided for stepwise integration and adoption of eCPs in the current way of home care provisioning.
authors: a Information Technology Department (INTEC) , Ghent University - iMinds , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: Frederic
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4507-5076
authors: F
authors: Vannieuwenborg
authors: b Research Centre for Studies on Media , Information and Telecommunication (SMIT), Brussels University (VUB) - iMinds , Brussels , Belgium.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Van der Auwermeulen
authors: a Information Technology Department (INTEC) , Ghent University - iMinds , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Van Ooteghem
authors: b Research Centre for Studies on Media , Information and Telecommunication (SMIT), Brussels University (VUB) - iMinds , Brussels , Belgium.
authors: An
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7178-0185
authors: A
authors: Jacobs
authors: a Information Technology Department (INTEC) , Ghent University - iMinds , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: Sofie
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4674-8693
authors: S
authors: Verbugge
authors: a Information Technology Department (INTEC) , Ghent University - iMinds , Ghent , Belgium.
authors: Didier
authors: D
authors: Colle
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security; D003219:Confidentiality; D005060:Europe; D006291:Health Policy; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D000073256:Information Technology; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D018511:Systems Integration; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards
keywords: eCare platform; go-to market strategies; multi-actor analysis; value network analysis