biosurfit solution responds to two main objectives outlined in the EC’s Health Policy and Europe 2020 For a Healthier EU, which cover both relevant economic and social aspects:
1) Improve the sustainability and efficiency of social and healthcare systems. According to the European Commission, between 70% and 80% of national healthcare budgets are currently spent on treating chronic diseases and, of this expenditure, nearly 97% of resources are spent on treatment, while only 3% is invested in prevention. These are in line with the EC’s Major and Chronic Diseases Policy, where increased effort must be placed on prevention through early detection, while a clear integrated approach involving the various levels of home, medical setting, and central specialist authorities, has to be adopted for its sufficient management. spinitCompanion solution fits these components of EU Health Strategy by offering an innovative product that delivers fast and precise blood test results, allowing for the prevention and early detection of health complications. biosurfit proposes a product that is consistent with “spending smarter but not necessarily more” by reducing the direct costs of standard blood tests and the associated costs related to unscheduled emergencies, rescue medications and hospitalizations. Looking specifically into the diabetes strain of chronic disease, the absolute number of diabetics in the EU will rise from approximately 33 million in 2010 to 38 million in 2030. In 2010, approximately 9% of the adult EU population was diabetic. In response with the chronic diseases policy, the EC had launched the European Diabetes Indicator Project (EUDIP) and its follow up European Core Indicators in Diabetes (EUCID), by harmonising EU-wide indicators of diabetes for effective early detection, prevention and monitoring (Figure 4). Through this, strides of improvement have been made in defining diabetes thresholds on relevance, validity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and responsiveness. But their efforts are left stranded, or benefits not fully felt, without quick and efficient testing mechanisms made readily available en-masse (decentralisation).
2) Keeping people healthy and active for longer has a positive impact on productivity and competitiveness. Chronic diseases are health conditions that require continuous care management over a period of years or decades. While an obvious by-product of chronic illness is absenteeism from work, more commonly, chronically ill patients continue to work at lower productivity levels (‘presenteeism’), particularly if they cannot afford to take extended leave. In Europe, productivity losses from chronic disease can range from 17.1% for low risk individuals to 34.5% for those of high-risk . Delayed treatments definitely worsen this problem with chance of developing acute illness or episodes associated with disease’s complications. spinitCompanion adoption will reduce the management burden on the patients enabling them to be better monitor changes in health status, and medically intervene if required. This will help decreasing the negative impact of the disease on the workplace promoting an improved general wellbeing for the patients.
