Periodic Report Summary - RICHARD (Regional ICT-based clusters for healthcare applications and R&D integration)
Project context and objectives:
The RICHARD project intends to facilitate the definition and the implementation of innovative models for the management of chronic conditions assisted by the information and communication technology (ICT) in four different European regions: Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom (UK) and Poland.
The project arises from the need to identify, design, and integrate new efficient and sustainable models for the care and support of patients based on the needs of the territorial models. The main idea of the project consists in giving guidelines for the integration of ICT in the health systems. Territorial and regional healthcare systems, academics, public or private companies, organised in clusters, cooperate to define a joint action plan (JAP), aimed at facilitating the adoption and the integration of ICT for the management of chronic conditions.
RICHARD rationale is to enable the shift from pathology-focused ICT applications to sustainable and territorial chronic care models, where innovation is driven by regional needs. Despite the long-term vision of an integrated chronic care model, a gradual pathology-driven approach is taken, focusing research and analysis around a restricted number of pathologies: stroke (Tuscany, Italy), cognitive diseases and dementia (Västerbotten, Sweden), diabetes (Yorkshire and Humber, UK).
Participant regions already have excellence and experience in using ICT using innovation in health, they are working to exchange their complementary experience and cooperate in achieving the RICHARD objectives and bringing their knowledge to mentored region (Lodz, PL).
The main vehicle for this exchange and cooperation is the JAP that specifies actions to be taken by the clusters, in coordinated way across regions, during and after the project's lifespan. The JAP outlines actions, timings, priorities and partner responsibilities and also pays attention to the financial aspects in order to define the participants' commitment (including also other regional actors) to ensure viability of implementation. The JAP will be open for further development and periodically revised throughout the life of RICHARD and beyond.
The work plan is based on six highly complementary work packages (WPs), three of which correspond to the phases of analysis (WP2), elaboration of the JAP (WP3) and measures towards its implementation (WP4) as specifically requested by the regions of knowledge call for proposal. The other WPs will focus on horizontal activities (WP1 - 'Management', WP6 - 'Dissemination and assessment') and on the mentoring actions for the benefit of the region of Lodz (WP5).
The critical activities of the project are supervised by an external panel of experts with high level strategic skills related to e-health including policies at European level. The panel will assess the quality of the actions in an independent way, providing a set of recommendations, hints and comments useful to improve the JAP and related actions. The main expected outcomes are to:
- highlight benefits and limits of ICT-based models implemented at regional level with reference to each individual chronic pathology;
- individuate in each region the main stakeholders of the value chain playing a major role in research, development and related business activities in healthcare;
- improve the definition of ICT-based models for the delivery of healthcare services for the management of chronic diseases at regional level;
- improve healthcare territorial pathways integrating research topics and results towards an innovative ICT-based chronic care model;
- improve regional and trans-regional cooperation with the design of a shared collaboration framework based on research and innovation;
- facilitate in each region the insertion of ICT based models in the clinical practice and promote the entrance of new actors in the value chain for the provision and maintenance of the services.
- disseminate at regional, national and international level the results of the project.
Project results:
In the first reporting period (months 1 - 18), great effort was put in reinforcing the consortium and identifying needs and expectations, though a broad analysis of the current organisational models, resources and barriers in each participating Regions.
Starting from the mapping of regional resources and the assessment of ICT-based models a clear picture of the status of play in each region was obtained, setting the basis for identifying the needs unattended with the main outcome of having a set of regional requirements as input for the JAP.
A literature review of the main barriers to implementation of e-health services was completed, although not foreseen in the description of work (DoW): it identified barriers and facilitators in several areas (financial, organisational, clinical etc.), supporting in the analysis and definition of the JAP.
The analysis performed lead each region to identify its own vision in relation to a territorial ICT based model and afterwards a common effort was put to draw a shared vision. The vision, described in term of shared objectives and measures, set the basis for the definition of the JAP, started with the framing of bilateral proposals between regions for potential joint actions, namely candidate action plan outlines (CAPOs). The CAPOs were summarised as an integrated list of potential actions in terms of the regional objectives to which they related and used for other regions to express interest in the proposed actions. Taking into account regional interests, resources and priorities, a set of actions was identified with the potential to form the initial version of the JAP.
As a first action in the JAP, a toolkit has been developed to support stakeholders in delivering an effective teleHealth solution. The toolkit, which capitalises the results of the systematic literature review and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis carried out in WP2, is titled 'Ready, steady, go: a toolkit for successful implementation' and is considered as propaedeutic for further actions within the JAP. A draft is available, the final version will be internally delivered to the consortium for revision and contributions and, when finalised, will be launched at the European level as a RICHARD contribution.
On project management, besides the routinely administrative and operational activities, several results have been achieved. A set of tools to assist the consortium in running the project have been completed and distributed. The external experts' group has been recruited and it proved to be a valuable support for the consortium, besides the assessment of the critical deliverables: they have been involved in the important phase of the project and participated to several cluster meetings and conference calls to provide their advice and suggestion.
Two amendments to the grant agreement have been submitted and approved by the European Commission (EC): following the amendments the beneficiary Yorkshire & Humber has been replaced (cause its disbandment due to political and organisational changes), two third parties were added (due to their specific expertise in the field of teleHealth and of implementation science) and a re-schedule of some WP4 and WP5 tasks was agreed (the training activities in Lodz and the set-up of a demonstrator have been delayed in order to capitalise at most the study tour results).
Three technical meetings were held in Paris (an international hub was chosen to minimise travel time from the northern countries during winter time), Umea and Lodz with a large participation of the consortium members.
Several tools for supporting in the implementation of the dissemination and communication activities were completed: the project website, available in four languages (please see http://www.richardproject.eu online), brochure and catalogue, the project newsletter are the main ones. The partners participated and / or organised 20 conferences / workshops to present RICHARD, 4 press releases and 4 web / radio programmes.
Potential impact:
The RICHARD expected final results can be summarised as follow:
a) identifying new pathways for research work that can be implemented through cooperation amongst the research actors of the participating regions;
b) design through the JAP the tools that will enable such collaboration;
c) run community building activities, such as the research brokerage workshops, meant to support the launch of new collaboration initiatives amongst the research organisations of the four clusters.
The RICHARD project is expected to become a reference initiative in the improvement of healthcare systems in the field of chronic care management for the participant regions. Impact can be expected also in a broader perspective in terms of contribution to support further European region to more efficiently use ICT for health.
From a technical point of view, the project has the potential to contribute to efficient, sustainable ICT based chronic care models. At the moment Europe is home to a wide range of ICT driven experiences focusing mostly on one or a set of pathologies, whereas a systemic approach to chronic conditions or diseases is often lacking. This is also the case for the regions taking part in the RICHARD project, which can reasonably be considered amongst the leading regions in the provision of ICT-based services for specific pathologies.
The following potential impacts of the project are expected:
1. Evolution towards sustainable care models: starting from pathology focused experiences, the JAP developed in RICHARD will move towards a long-term vision oriented at establishing a chronic care models potentially extensible to further chronic conditions.
2. Enhancing regional growth by making e-health a well-structured market: if the uptake of efficient models for e-health is implemented in the participating regions and extended to pathologies where ICT-based services are currently poor or not existing, the effect could be a positive economic dynamic at regional level, resulting in:
- contributing to better design the needs of healthcare systems, in terms of use of resources, and also in terms of education enabling local institutions to focus on the skills that are needed to run efficiently more ICT intensive healthcare systems;
- higher allocation of regional resources to ICT-based health services;
- growth of the private sector (mainly) small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to respond to the growing demand for services;
- consolidation of regional e-health actors on the international e-health arena, thus contributing to the internationalisation of business and to the provision of services in a cross-border perspective;
- better orientation of research policies and support instruments towards the needs of the regions;
- spreading excellence, exploiting results, disseminating knowledge.
List of websites: http://www.richardproject.eu
The RICHARD project intends to facilitate the definition and the implementation of innovative models for the management of chronic conditions assisted by the information and communication technology (ICT) in four different European regions: Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom (UK) and Poland.
The project arises from the need to identify, design, and integrate new efficient and sustainable models for the care and support of patients based on the needs of the territorial models. The main idea of the project consists in giving guidelines for the integration of ICT in the health systems. Territorial and regional healthcare systems, academics, public or private companies, organised in clusters, cooperate to define a joint action plan (JAP), aimed at facilitating the adoption and the integration of ICT for the management of chronic conditions.
RICHARD rationale is to enable the shift from pathology-focused ICT applications to sustainable and territorial chronic care models, where innovation is driven by regional needs. Despite the long-term vision of an integrated chronic care model, a gradual pathology-driven approach is taken, focusing research and analysis around a restricted number of pathologies: stroke (Tuscany, Italy), cognitive diseases and dementia (Västerbotten, Sweden), diabetes (Yorkshire and Humber, UK).
Participant regions already have excellence and experience in using ICT using innovation in health, they are working to exchange their complementary experience and cooperate in achieving the RICHARD objectives and bringing their knowledge to mentored region (Lodz, PL).
The main vehicle for this exchange and cooperation is the JAP that specifies actions to be taken by the clusters, in coordinated way across regions, during and after the project's lifespan. The JAP outlines actions, timings, priorities and partner responsibilities and also pays attention to the financial aspects in order to define the participants' commitment (including also other regional actors) to ensure viability of implementation. The JAP will be open for further development and periodically revised throughout the life of RICHARD and beyond.
The work plan is based on six highly complementary work packages (WPs), three of which correspond to the phases of analysis (WP2), elaboration of the JAP (WP3) and measures towards its implementation (WP4) as specifically requested by the regions of knowledge call for proposal. The other WPs will focus on horizontal activities (WP1 - 'Management', WP6 - 'Dissemination and assessment') and on the mentoring actions for the benefit of the region of Lodz (WP5).
The critical activities of the project are supervised by an external panel of experts with high level strategic skills related to e-health including policies at European level. The panel will assess the quality of the actions in an independent way, providing a set of recommendations, hints and comments useful to improve the JAP and related actions. The main expected outcomes are to:
- highlight benefits and limits of ICT-based models implemented at regional level with reference to each individual chronic pathology;
- individuate in each region the main stakeholders of the value chain playing a major role in research, development and related business activities in healthcare;
- improve the definition of ICT-based models for the delivery of healthcare services for the management of chronic diseases at regional level;
- improve healthcare territorial pathways integrating research topics and results towards an innovative ICT-based chronic care model;
- improve regional and trans-regional cooperation with the design of a shared collaboration framework based on research and innovation;
- facilitate in each region the insertion of ICT based models in the clinical practice and promote the entrance of new actors in the value chain for the provision and maintenance of the services.
- disseminate at regional, national and international level the results of the project.
Project results:
In the first reporting period (months 1 - 18), great effort was put in reinforcing the consortium and identifying needs and expectations, though a broad analysis of the current organisational models, resources and barriers in each participating Regions.
Starting from the mapping of regional resources and the assessment of ICT-based models a clear picture of the status of play in each region was obtained, setting the basis for identifying the needs unattended with the main outcome of having a set of regional requirements as input for the JAP.
A literature review of the main barriers to implementation of e-health services was completed, although not foreseen in the description of work (DoW): it identified barriers and facilitators in several areas (financial, organisational, clinical etc.), supporting in the analysis and definition of the JAP.
The analysis performed lead each region to identify its own vision in relation to a territorial ICT based model and afterwards a common effort was put to draw a shared vision. The vision, described in term of shared objectives and measures, set the basis for the definition of the JAP, started with the framing of bilateral proposals between regions for potential joint actions, namely candidate action plan outlines (CAPOs). The CAPOs were summarised as an integrated list of potential actions in terms of the regional objectives to which they related and used for other regions to express interest in the proposed actions. Taking into account regional interests, resources and priorities, a set of actions was identified with the potential to form the initial version of the JAP.
As a first action in the JAP, a toolkit has been developed to support stakeholders in delivering an effective teleHealth solution. The toolkit, which capitalises the results of the systematic literature review and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis carried out in WP2, is titled 'Ready, steady, go: a toolkit for successful implementation' and is considered as propaedeutic for further actions within the JAP. A draft is available, the final version will be internally delivered to the consortium for revision and contributions and, when finalised, will be launched at the European level as a RICHARD contribution.
On project management, besides the routinely administrative and operational activities, several results have been achieved. A set of tools to assist the consortium in running the project have been completed and distributed. The external experts' group has been recruited and it proved to be a valuable support for the consortium, besides the assessment of the critical deliverables: they have been involved in the important phase of the project and participated to several cluster meetings and conference calls to provide their advice and suggestion.
Two amendments to the grant agreement have been submitted and approved by the European Commission (EC): following the amendments the beneficiary Yorkshire & Humber has been replaced (cause its disbandment due to political and organisational changes), two third parties were added (due to their specific expertise in the field of teleHealth and of implementation science) and a re-schedule of some WP4 and WP5 tasks was agreed (the training activities in Lodz and the set-up of a demonstrator have been delayed in order to capitalise at most the study tour results).
Three technical meetings were held in Paris (an international hub was chosen to minimise travel time from the northern countries during winter time), Umea and Lodz with a large participation of the consortium members.
Several tools for supporting in the implementation of the dissemination and communication activities were completed: the project website, available in four languages (please see http://www.richardproject.eu online), brochure and catalogue, the project newsletter are the main ones. The partners participated and / or organised 20 conferences / workshops to present RICHARD, 4 press releases and 4 web / radio programmes.
Potential impact:
The RICHARD expected final results can be summarised as follow:
a) identifying new pathways for research work that can be implemented through cooperation amongst the research actors of the participating regions;
b) design through the JAP the tools that will enable such collaboration;
c) run community building activities, such as the research brokerage workshops, meant to support the launch of new collaboration initiatives amongst the research organisations of the four clusters.
The RICHARD project is expected to become a reference initiative in the improvement of healthcare systems in the field of chronic care management for the participant regions. Impact can be expected also in a broader perspective in terms of contribution to support further European region to more efficiently use ICT for health.
From a technical point of view, the project has the potential to contribute to efficient, sustainable ICT based chronic care models. At the moment Europe is home to a wide range of ICT driven experiences focusing mostly on one or a set of pathologies, whereas a systemic approach to chronic conditions or diseases is often lacking. This is also the case for the regions taking part in the RICHARD project, which can reasonably be considered amongst the leading regions in the provision of ICT-based services for specific pathologies.
The following potential impacts of the project are expected:
1. Evolution towards sustainable care models: starting from pathology focused experiences, the JAP developed in RICHARD will move towards a long-term vision oriented at establishing a chronic care models potentially extensible to further chronic conditions.
2. Enhancing regional growth by making e-health a well-structured market: if the uptake of efficient models for e-health is implemented in the participating regions and extended to pathologies where ICT-based services are currently poor or not existing, the effect could be a positive economic dynamic at regional level, resulting in:
- contributing to better design the needs of healthcare systems, in terms of use of resources, and also in terms of education enabling local institutions to focus on the skills that are needed to run efficiently more ICT intensive healthcare systems;
- higher allocation of regional resources to ICT-based health services;
- growth of the private sector (mainly) small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to respond to the growing demand for services;
- consolidation of regional e-health actors on the international e-health arena, thus contributing to the internationalisation of business and to the provision of services in a cross-border perspective;
- better orientation of research policies and support instruments towards the needs of the regions;
- spreading excellence, exploiting results, disseminating knowledge.
List of websites: http://www.richardproject.eu