PREVE - Identifying ICT Research Directions for Disease Prevention

Tuesday, 23 February 2010

It is a Support Action, funded under the 4th FP7 ICT Call, not aiming to the development of actual solutions but to perform an in-depth study in the main dimensions that could be of importance for the creation of innovative Personal Health System (PHS) in primary prevention and, as a result, to propose the necessary ICT research lines that would base the foundations on which to build efficient and sustainable solutions.

The lead idea of PREVE is 'having the individual as a co-producer of health' and empowering individuals to take responsibility of their health with personalized ICT enabled PHS technologies and services. Therefore the project paves the way for a health service environment where individuals and health professionals work jointly towards health goals.

Issues that will be considered in identifying the ICT research directions include:
1) prevalence of preventable diseases;
2) best practices for disease prevention;
3) user segmentation based on life stages, preferences, behaviour/motivation, clinical risk factors;
4) ICT systems used in uncontrolled environments;
5) validation (proof of value); and
6) sustainable business models. The work will be guided by a tentative intervention model that comprises: (a) entry points or trigger events that provide a window of opportunity for starting prevention actions, (b) a personal profile based on life stage, behaviour, risk factors etc., (c) a personalized intervention strategy that engages individuals as it guides, enables and motivates them in health management.

The work plan comprises three phases:

• in Phase 1 an in-depth analysis of the domain of PHS in prevention is performed. Through this the most prevalent diseases are selected and analysed for the established best practice in their primary prevention (including lifestyle management and modification). The research provides the definition and validation of a 2D matrix of disease – best intervention strategies for primary prevention.
• in Phase 2 personalization needs of the intervention model (e.g. user segmentation by different criteria and motivational issues) are analyzed. This includes firstly an analysis of past and ongoing PHS projects and in the products and service already in the market place, with the intention to learn from their primary and secondary prevention strategies. Secondly, it looks into the personalization challenge through analyzing the constituents of personal profile, issues around motivation and needs of different user segments, such as in different life stages. This will add a third dimension to the 2D matrix, addressing the user segmented disease – best intervention strategies.
• in Phase 3 implementation issues are studied, i.e. how the response ability of individuals in primary prevention can be facilitated with ICT. This deals with an analysis of business models for ICT supported disease prevention, value network relations between the actors and stakeholders and ways for value creation and validation of value.

The results of PREVE will be published in a White Paper, which presents the identified ICT research directions in disease prevention, and highlights the (assumed) need to approach this topic from multiple complementary viewpoints.

Each phase concludes with an open consultation workshop, which are scheduled to take place in mid‐March, mid‐June and early November 2010, respectively. The scopes of the three WS are: 1st selection of relevant disease and their prevention strategies; 2nd user segmented intervention strategies; 3rd ICT research directions: PHS in primary prevention.

In addition to the workshops a multidisciplinary Advisory Panel has been assembled with the aim to validate and refine the results of the project. The results of the project will be at the same time widely disseminated to the scientific, medical, industry and research community as well as to the main stakeholders in the society (the individual itself, his close environment and the policy makers, planners and takers). This interaction with the world will also increase the awareness in relation to primary prevention, health promotion and risk prevention, smoothing the path for the future generation of PHS.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.preve-eu.org

About PREVE Project
PREVE is a project developed by Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), Aarhus University (AU), Universida Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Fondazione San Raffaele (HSR).

About PREVE partners involved in the project:

• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is an not-for-profit multidisciplinary contract research organization. With its know-how VTT produces research, development, testing, and information services for public sector and companies as well as for international organizations. VTT has a strong tradition in research on ICT for wellness and healthcare. VTT has know-how in a wide range of technological solutions combined with strong domain knowledge to help customers and collaborators - companies, health care providers, and research institutes.
• AU (Aarhus University) - the department of General Medical Practice has been a principal investigator in interdisciplinary health research, e-health and large intervention studies with focus on prevention, early detection, and disease handling of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• UPV-ITACA is one of the main research entities inside the university devoted to applying information and communication technologies. One of its main areas of work is the application of ICT to the fields of Health and Social Services.
• HSR (Fondazione San Raffaele) is a private non-profit foundation that runs one of the most important Italian hospital and several outpatient facilities in Milan, as well as in Italy and abroad. The Unit eService for Life and Health is specialized in the delivery of services internally to the hospital infrastructure as well as oriented to innovative domains and disciplines. Currently the unit is focused on the release of services to the citizen and on the management of personalized and constantly updated information.