Health Telematics (AIM) Final Report


	Updated: Feb 1, 97
TELEPRIM

Telematic Services for Primary Care

Project Code: A2054

Project value: 2924 KECU

EC contribution: 1350 KECU

No of partners: 8

No of countries: 5

Duration: 18 months

Contact:
Mr. Fernando Piera
Eritel
P. de la Castellana 141
E-28046 Madrid, Spain
Tel.: +34-1-348.12.14
Fax: +34-1-579.10.74
Email: fpiera@proint.eritel.es
X400: C=es/S=fpiera/A=mensatex/
P=eritel/0=proint

Overview

The project consists mainly in the installation, test and validation of large scale prototypes of community care telematic systems, evaluated under real life conditions, as well as the definition of general design recommendations to those in charge of defining and selecting the appropriate technology and software tools to fulfil any specific need that requires telematic supported services as: services to support routine work of the professionals involved; services for the training of health care providers; services to improve monitoring and exploitation control.

Purpose and objectives

TELEPRIM is an integration project that started on December 1993 and has a duration of 18 months, consequently it was scheduled to finish by the end of May 1995. The project had two main phases, the first one being the implementation and validation of a preliminary prototype at each of the three Pilot Sites Turku (Finland), Belfast (UK) and Extremadura (Spain), and the second one being the implementation and validation of an enhanced prototype at each of the three Pilot Sites. From another point of view the project had to define the specifications, the technical groundwork and the design guidelines for Primary Care telematic services for the Pilot Sites. Being an integration project TELEPRIM used the outputs of other AIM projects such as SHINE, EPIC, IREP OEDIPE and ISAAC and of the Concerted Action PRIMACARA.

The main objective of TELEPRIM was to specify Primary Health Care Telematics Integrated Services with the following approach:

Taking the maximum advantage of existing or emerging software and experiences from related EU projects or others, as well as, general purpose software or similar applications from other sectors.
The specification of the Primary Health Care Telematic Services will as the result of the verification and validation of TELEPRIM Pilots in real environments, with real users and a European dimension.
Those services, once defined from the Pilot, would be integrated to make possible their integrated use and the optimisation of resources.

This approach to TELEPRIM main objective defined the scheduling of its sub-objectives:

First sub-objective (phase): design of Rapid Prototypes of the applications outlined, as much as possible at the initial stage, by the users of the Pilot sites. The outcome was TELEPRIM (Primary Care Telematic Services} Pilots.

Second sub-objective (phase): installation and evaluation of those prototypes to the level of clear identification of all issues relevant to specify the Services. Portability across different European health care models is essential. The outcome was TELEPRIM (Primary Care Telematic Services) Services.

Third sub-objective (phase): Integration-of all applications-of-the previous phases towards the concept of Primary Care Telematic Environments: The outcome was TELEPRIM (Primary Care Telematic Services) Platforms.

Early after the start of the project, the development and implementation of the preliminary prototypes for the three Pilot Sites had achieved. Also work on the definition of the health services that might be considered for development and implementation in the final pilot prototypes had been done. Other achievements obtained in the first months of the project were the definition concrete and detailed of the Pilot prototypes testing and verifying the concepts of the TELEPRIM project, the development of a methodology for development, testing and evaluation of the telematic services to be implemented by TELEPRIM and the development of layered model for the identification and description of Telematic Services in Primary Care.

Validation and user acceptance: an evaluation plan was developed mostly intended to assess usability of the system once TELEPRIM prototypes were been completed, based on methodologies based in the existing standards and experience on the matter and notably on ETSI usability standards and European projects that have directly addressed this topic.

Results

An essential element of TELEPRIM is the joint participation of users, research and educational organisations together with industrial partners all of them with a precise strategy for exploitation of the expected results.

A general Framework for the possible telematic services in Primary Care and the technical solutions available and recommended for each one has been defined. From the methodological point of view, the following methodologies have been defined: a) methodology for activity analysis; b) methodology for the identification of user requirements; c) methodology for evaluation of telematic systems usability. adapted to the features of Primary Care services; d) methodology for analysis of cost/effectiveness. Also within the results the applications developed for the Pilot sites have to be considered: ECG in teleconsultation between Primary Care and Cardiological specialists: Discharge letter for Mother and New born (Edifact message format); Patient referral and discharge letter multi-organisational team working and optimisation of resource usage.

The exploitation of results of the TELEPRIM Project included the following lines of action:

Identification of healthcare service providers in each Country and region specifically responsible for Primary Care related activities.
Direct Involvement of healthcare professionals, such as GPs and their associations and organisations for the diffusion of awareness and knowledge about the offering side.
Inclusion of the applications and services developed within the project in the global offer of large ICT companies.

List of Deliverables

Year 1

Project Management Manual
Semestral project reports
Specification of Primary Care Telematic Services of Pilots
Technical Groundwork of the Primary Care Services of Pilots
Design and Development of Pilots Primary Care Telematic Services/Applications
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Prototype) Extremadura Pilot
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Prototype) Belfast
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Prototype) Turku

Year 2

Semestral project reports
Design Guidelines for Primary Care Telematic Services
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Enhanced) Extremadura Pilot
Extremadura Pilot Evaluation
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Enhanced) Belfast Pilot
Belfast Pilot Evaluation
Primary Care Telematic Services Integration (Enhanced) Turku Pilot
Turku Pilot Evaluation

List of Participants

Dr. Leslie Boydell SEBHSS Trust, European Office Knockbracken Healthcare Park Saintfield Road, Belfast Northern Ireland, U.K. Tel.: +44-232-40.22.02 Fax: +44-232-40.21.21	Mr Attilio Romitta Database Informatica Via dei Castelli Romani, 15 I-00040 Rome, Italy Tel.: +39-6-91.04.91 Fax: +39-6-912.34.76
Mr. Terhi Vesanem VTT Technical Research Centre PO Box 316 Klanslerimkatu 8D Hervanta SF-33101 Tampere, Finland Tel.: +358-31-16.31.11 Fax: +358-31-17.41.02	Mr. Nikos Damianakis Epsilon Software Ltd. 377 Syngrou Avenue GR-17564 Athens, Greece Tel.: +30-1-942.56.71 Fax: +30-1-942.77.19
Prof. Francisco Del Pozo Guerrero Univ. Politecnica Madrid Dept.Tec.Elec. & Bioengineering Cuidad Universitaria Ramiro de Maetzu 7 E-28040 Madrid, Spain Tel.: +34-1-336.73.07 Fax: +34-1-336.73.19	Mr. Giorgio Orsi TSD Tecnologie e Sistemi Datamont SRL Via Taramelli 26 I-20124 Milano, Italy Tel.: +39-2-62.70.80.54 Fax: +39-2-62.70.46.72
Mr. Juan Antonio Nuñez Promainex Av. Goitia 9 E-28027 Madrid, Spain Tel.: +34-1-320.37.49 Fax: +34-1-320.22.11	Mr. Jose Maria Mangas Reina Junta de Extremadura-Consejeria de Bienestar Social Plaza de Santa Clara S/N E-06800 Merida, Spain Tel.: +34-924-38.13.48 Fax: +34-924-38.13.49
Director of Primary Care Head Office of Turku PO Box 316 SF-Turku, Finland Tel.: +358-31-16.33.00 Fax: +358-31-17.41.02



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