Initial Project Information: ITHACA


	Updated: Jun 3, 97
ITHACA

Telematics for integrated client centered community care

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Project Nr:	HC 1029	Group: IV	Project Duration: 36 months
Key words:
Category:	Client Centred Community Care
Summary:	The aim of ITHACA is to improve the quality of care provided to vulnerable people living in the community through the integration and validation of telematic services. Specific applications for elderly care, including home telecare, mentally ill, maternal and child health will be developed. The solution will be a generic client-centred community information system.
Mission:	ITHACA aims to improve the quality of care provided to people living in the community through the development of telematics which support the sharing of information between those providing health and social care. The emphasis will be on support for assessment, care planning and delivery of care to the elderly, the mentally ill and for maternal and child health. Greater effectiveness of services will be achieved through the use of integrated technologies and analysis of data held within the database. There will be active participation of users throughout all stages of the project.
URL:	www.vtt.fi/tte/tre/ithaca

Coordinator(s)

Mr. Leslie Boydell

Knockbracken Healthcare Park
Saintfield Road
UK-BT8 8BHBelfast
United Kingdom

url:

Participants:

Name of Institution	City+Postal Code	Country	Region
Servicio Andaluz de Salud	Sevilla, E-41071	Spain	ES61
Health Office, Turku	Turku, FI-20710	Finland	FI
Adm. Regional Saude Norte	Oporto, P-4200	Porutgal	PT11

Project Objectives, Summary Description and Anticipated Results

The aim of ITHACA is to improve the quality of care provided to people living in the community through the integration of telematic services, capable of supporting the efficient sharing of relevant information between health and social care professionals.
The project will:

Validate and exploit the results of the European Prototype for Integrated Care (EPIC) project (a successful third framework project which developed telematic support for assessment and care planning for the elderly with integration of home telecare) within pilot sites with different primary care systems.
Validate the generic concepts and components developed in EPIC across other client groups, in particular for mental health and maternal & child health.
Extend the functionality through the integration of technologies which improve ease of data entry and access for users and through integration and further development of home telecare within a client centred information system.

ITHACA will continue the work of developing a generic community information system by further validation of the elderly and antenatal applications in combination with new applications for mental illness and maternal and child health. The four pilot sites which took part in the EPIC project, Belfast, Turku, Andalucia and Oporto, will form the core sites for the development within the ITHACA project. The new sites will specify their user requirements and validate the generic approach within different organisational structures. Representatives of all sites will participate in the users group meetings and the further development of the concepts important for the support of client focused community care.

Other Characteristics of the Project:

Users involved
The users involved in the project are multi-disciplinary groups of professional from each of the ten sites involved in the Project, including doctors, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and managers.

Technologies and/or approach used
The project will use an object-orientated approach to build a demonstrator consisting of a person centred community information system, with integration of home telecare management system, use of portable data access tools such as hand held computers, executive and geographical information systems.

Expected benefits for the citizen
The project will develop the telematics support for a client-focused approach to care in which the individuals needs are assessed and care is tailored accordingly with agreed goals and measurement of outcomes. The project will act as a catalyst for organisational and attitudinal change.

Expected benefits for the users of the application
The project will develop tools to support multi-disciplinary working in the community leading to better co-ordination of care and more efficient work practices. Professionals will have timely access to the information needed to make decisions about patient care.

Expected benefits for the European Industries
ITHACA is a user lead project and all sites involved are urgently seeking an acceptable solution for care in the community. Currently none exists and the software companies involved are aware of the gap in the market and the market potential of the project results.

Contribution to EU-policies
The project serves to promote the competitiveness of the companies involved and to improve the efficiency of health and social care services in the community. It will increase the resources available to professionals for patient assessment, care and management while reducing patient isolation.

Validation Sites

South and East Belfast Health and Social Services Trust	Belfast	Northern Ireland	UK
Servicio Andaluz de Salud	Malaga	Andalucía	ES
Health Office, Turku	Turku	Etelae-Suomi	FI
Administacao Regional Saude do Norte	Oporto	Norte	PT
Saskatchewan Health	Regina	CAN
Feder. Associations Co-ordination Sanitaire et Sociale de l'Oise	Senlis	Picardie	FR
Azienda USSL N. 12	Bergamo	Lombardia	IT
Hellenic Red Cross/Municipality Amaroussion	Athens	Attiki	GR
City Council of Gothenburg	Gothenburg	Vaestsverige	SE

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