Objective
The KARMA2 project focuses on the creation and development of an organisational model to efficiently and adequately manage home-care activities in specific patient populations and the delivery of health care services in general. KARMA2 will establish an easily accessible network enabling all persons involved in the health, social and psychological care delivery on one hand and the patients (pts), their families and pts' associations on the other hand, to have adequate and updated information on the conditions of pts in treatment, or in home care. Pts considered are in rehabilitation treatment, long term or non-ending care and those requiring at-home family assistance. Pts and their families have to face problems related to diseases on their own, with minimal or no guaranty for the continuity of the support form the various involved health and social care services. A rational solution is to provide families with an adequate clinical, psychological, social and logistic support, in order to remove distress from families, that will ameliorate patient's quality of life, and to reduce hospitalisation costs. Technologies are available and must just be integrated. KARMA2 focuses merely on routine support and does not have any intention to substitute an emergency service. However, the continuous monitoring will also allow an immediate call to the emergency services whenever necessary.
Objectives:
The KARMA2 project develops a platform to efficiently and adequately manage home-care activities in a specific patient population: brain-injured children. These patients require rehabilitation treatments and long-term (non-ending) care. Through a networked infrastructure, easily accessible, KARMA2 establishes an organisational network that co-ordinates and manages all the persons and activities, delivering pertinent and updated information. In the KARMA2 project the assumption is that nowadays the technologies are available and the main effort must be directed toward their integration, accordingly to the specific needs of home-care.
Anyway, KARMA2 uses a variety of new-featured technologies:
a dynamic and predictive multilevel workflow system XML-based;
UMTS, Internet (Ipv6) and Blue Tooth;
a new VPN;
web phone and smart card validation;
unique, miniaturised, non-intrusive medical sensor.
The main outcome of the project is the assessment of a new organisational model.KARMA2 establishing a direct connection between patients/families and sanitary operators, has the ability to enhance people proactive behaviours adding value to their attitudes. KARMA2 increases patient's quality of life, reduces the hospitalisation and assistance costs, removes distress and frustration from families.
Work description:
KARMA2 develops an integrated platform, conceived to give the best support in providing Home Care services.
The system realises a co-operative environment whose organisational hearth is a Service Centre that, with the support of a Knowledge Base (e.g. integrating patient health care records, clinical/operational protocols to follow), interacts with GPs, medical operators, social services organisations and families.
Today no experiences can be found that really integrates the different "actors" of a complex home-care organisation.
The nature of the challenge is not at the technological level; it is rather at the involvement level, with the ability to underline people proactive behaviours.
To exploit its organisational and clinical advantages, KARMA2 will be used to care brain-injured children.
In the project's activities a special role is plaid by the families; Associations represent them and will actively participate in the specification and in the pilot tasks.
KARMA2 establishes a direct connection between patients/families and health teams. When a child at home is charged to the KARMA2 service, the Service Centre acquires all his personal clinical information from the available databases (e.g. Local Health Units, GPs). Using the KARMA2 co-operation tools, the medical team defines a specific "Assistance Protocol"; guided by it, the system always activates and supports the more appropriate health teams and actions. Each Patient is endowed with a portable device that monitors physiological parameters; these are kept under control according to the personal care protocols. Once the device is delivered and activated on the patient, the process of parameters monitoring can be continuous while the patient proceeds with normal activities.
Milestones:
Month 3 - Requirements approval,
Month 6 - Final technical specifications,
Month 6 - Exploitation and Dissemination Strategy approval
Month 12 - Initial prototype release,
Month 18 - On Field Progress Report,
Month 22 - Clinical Result Assessment
Month 24 - Final Prototypes release
Fields of science
- social sciencessociologygovernancepublic services
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternet
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinephysiotherapy
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
20148 MILANO
Italy