Revolutionary healthcare platform launched
With 75 million people in Europe over the age of 65, achieving optimal healthcare for the elderly can be reinforced by introducing new, unified and powerful online technology. This was the aim of the EU-funded project CARESTORE (Innovative open-source platform for seamless healthcare device marketing and configuration). The project built the ultimate online platform in the form of an application for care institutions such as nursing homes to combine various assisted living technologies and their different interfaces. It developed an internet-based marketplace that offers easier installation and use of healthcare applications and devices on a pan-European scale. This allows users to benefit from much lower prices and more flexibility than the current competition, enabling health care staff and even laypersons to deploy the required array of applications. To achieve its aim, the project team articulated the required specifications for the platform and made important progress in designing the prototype, considering as well pivotal issues such as patient confidentiality. It also produced three key reports on cutting-edge developments in application store technology, biometric/radio frequency identification technology and online platforms. Advantages of the platform include standardised user-interface and recognition technology to facilitate seamless connectivity and installation, both at home and in an institutional environment. On the commercial front, the platform's ease of use encourages small and medium-sized enterprises in the market to integrate new products, participating in creating a new paradigm in health care for the elderly. The project's impact is expected to be significant in terms of benefits to Europe's rapidly ageing population and to the health care industry.
Keywords
Health care, assisted living, CARESTORE, patient confidentiality, online platform, ageing
