Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
running out and alert patients, their families and clinicians. If clinicians confirm the
need to continue that treatment, the system sends an order for the drugs to the chemist's,
which can than deliver the medicine directly to the patients' home. In the long run such
a medication reminder service can evolve into a medication management service not
only for the patient (e.g. with educational content to improve adherence to the
treatment) but also for the care providers (e.g. checking drug interaction between drugs
from multiple prescribers). Eventually such a service could be integrated into a disease
management service to link the treatment to results measured by tele-monitoring.
Rehabilitation services
. Technological rehabilitation services can help patients
effectively and frequently carry out rehabilitation tasks in clinical rehabilitation centres
and also at home. Patients can perform the rehabilitation exercises autonomously but
medical staff can remotely monitor the patients and correct possible errors as necessary.
In this way, clinicians also have quantitative information about improvements in
patients' health. Finally, these systems can result in positive effects on patients' life
because they can regain their sensor and motor abilities more quickly and effectively or
can maintain them in the best condition. The solutions in this area vary from sensor
based systems that monitor the movements of a person to systems that give active
support in performing the exercises using robotic like devices in case of neuro-
rehabilitation.
The following sections describe how care and therapy can become more individual,
i.e. person-centred and how health-care professionals can benefit from new
technologies.
2.1.1.
Support for chronic disease management
The management of chronic diseases plays an important role in the context of assisted
living and due to the aging population is of increasing importance.
The most common chronic cardiovascular disease is congestive heart failure. In
2015, according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), it is expected that 12
million Europeans will have a heart failure (Cleland, 2003). Heart-failure patients need
tele-monitoring to adjust treatment with drugs or electrotherapy, to avoid
hospitalization.
Tele-monitoring of patient status and self-management of chronic pathological
conditions (e.g. COPD and chronic cardiovascular diseases) represents the most
evident, short-term outcome of Research and Technology Development (RTD) in the
domains of Ambient Assisted Healthcare, rehabilitation and long-term care. Wearable
sensors, advanced signal processing techniques and networking are technologies that
can be applied to monitor the physiological parameters of people and control their
health, but not in an invasive manner. This information should be provided remotely to
users, their families and clinicians in order to make known constantly the health
condition of the subject, to make an exact diagnosis, to identify the correct therapies
and to intervene at the right time.
The combination of wearable or implantable multi-sensor platforms with sensors
mounted in the environment, using low-power and reliable technologies, is being
explored and the first prototypes are now being developed. Clearly, patients might well
have difficulties using large and/or obtrusive wearable sensors or large implants. One
of the main short-term challenges therefore lies in the development of small and
