NWE-Chance - Development and validation of promising integrated eHealth applications combined with nanotechnology for hospitalisation of heart failure patients at home
Heart failure is a growing epidemic: in the European Union about 15 million people are now living with heart failure. Between 1-2% of total healthcare expenditure can be associated with this condition, of which 50% is due to hospitalisation. Digital health is widely recognised as one of the most promising solutions to this societal challenge: in the field of cardio vascular diseases, current eHealth tools are primarily focused on rehabilitation and monitoring after hospitalisation. Today, there is a transition taking place from dedicated hospital care to the home setting, with a combination of eHealth applications and miniaturised diagnostic and therapeutic devices. This is where the NWE-Chance project comes into play.
THE PROJECT'S APPROACH
NWE-Chance is all about bringing stakeholders together to co-create the knowledge needed to get innovation in home care to happen in North-west Europe. The project will contribute to develop SMEs’ capabilities and to increase their involvement in cooperative projects in the NWE Interreg region. During the project, two SMEs and one larger company will collaborate with three hospitals and two universities to develop and test a prototype of a platform for home hospitalisation in which supportive (miniaturised) diagnostic and therapeutic devices are integrated. The prototype will integrate a real-time monitoring system with a nano-based test for measuring potassium and creatine, and a wearable patch to monitor vital functions.
Pilots will run in three different hospitals to test:
the technical feasibility of the developed technologies;
the organisational feasibility of home hospitalisation for heart failure patients.
Then, an Innovation-Hub will be launched to:
support the collaboration and knowledge exchange between SMEs and hospitals in the process of developing and implementing new digital health technologies;
ensure continuity and growth of the collaboration between industry and hospitals, leading to the development of eHealth products to support hospitalisation at home.
Additionally, the project will deliver an Implementation Roadmap to multiply the innovations in other regions and initiate similar projects.
Events
NWE-Chance conference @ AgeingFit 2022
01-03-2022 - 02-03-2022, Lille, France
The NWE-Chance project is coming to an end soon and is therefore in position to share the results of its feasibility, the lessons learned and its plans for promoting hospitalisatio... Read more
[Video] 5 minutes to discover the Hospitalisation@Home Platform
Posted on 22-02-2022
Watch a short video explaining how the Hospitalisation@Home Platform can help care for heart failure patients recovering at home, by increasing the patient's quality of life and si...
Read more
NWE-Chance is holding its final conference at AgeingFit 2022
Posted on 13-01-2022
The NWE-Chance project is coming to an end soon and is therefore in position to share the results of its feasibility, the lessons learned and its plans for promoting hospitalisatio...
Read more
The industry developing innovations and transferring hospital care in a home environment is still in its infancy, fragmentally available and only partially integrated in standard healthcare services. Despite new opportunities for home hospitalisation, there are several challenges. One is the limited uptake by healthcare professionals. It is therefore crucial to:
establish clinical evidence that supports the use of new technologies in healthcare;
raise awareness about real-life examples of uptake.
Another challenge is the very few connections between the health sector and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developing eHealth tools for dedicated hospital care in the home setting. It is therefore essential to:
combine the separate knowledge between large-scale industry, SMEs, healthcare organisations, and knowledge providers;
bring together all the relevant stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experience.
The project will facilitate the process of co-creation through living labs and will launch a knowledge, testing and implementation platform that will support SMEs in their innovations in the field of digital health.
EXPECTED RESULTS
By the end of the project:
three industry partners will have developed new eHealth-based technologies for the transition of 24/7 hospital care for heart failure patients in the home environment;
the concept of home hospitalisation for heart failure patients will be adopted by three hospitals in the NWE region;
an Innovation Hub will be established. Innovative SMEs in the NWE region will be able to rely on an infrastructure to develop novel products.
Long-term effects in five years:
three industry partners have further developed new eHealth-based technologies for the transition of 24/7 hospital care for heart failure patients in the home environment;
the networking initiated by the Innovation Hub will have increased the adoption of home hospitalisation. Fifteen SMEs will have realised digital innovations.
Long-term effects in ten years:
three industry partners will have solid market positions;
home hospitalisation will be fully adopted;
the Innovation Hub will have supported the collaboration between fifty SMEs and hospitals. Thirty-five SMEs will have realised digital innovations.
NWE-Chance project coordinator Astrid van Velde authored an article exploring the future of hospital and the key role of hospital admissions at home Read More
During NEW Impact event, a group of students from the Master of European and International Studies of the University of Lille have selected NWE-Chance as the most impressive Interreg NWE project. Read More
NWE-Chance is assessing the feasibility for Heart Failure patients to get hospital-level care at home – average duration 5 days –with the support of a newly developed integrated technology platform. Read More
Have a look at our video playlists to know more about partners past experiences and how the project is progressing.
Learn also about the technologies on which NWE-Chance project is building.
More is to come.
NWE-Chance Final Conference @ AgeingFit (Lille, France)
On 2 March 2022, NWE-Chance presented its conclusions in a special joint event, organised together with Passion HF, and hosted by AgeingFit 2022.
The project team was present in Lille and held presentations on the challenges faced to care patients at home, the NWE-Chance Hospitalisation@Home Platform and its openness to third party, the clinical and organisational feasibility study and finally, the Hospitalisation@Home Innovation Hub.
Watch the recordings of the presentations:
Welcome | Setting the scene: Heart Failure and Care at Home
- Introduction to NWE-Chance, Astrid van der Velde (NWE-Chance coordinator – Isala Heart Centre)
- Keynote speech: What is heart failure? Why to treat at home?, Dr. Hans-Peter Brunner la Rocca (Passion-HF coordinator – MUMC+)
- Panel on the challenges faced to care patients at home, with Dr. Stefan Busnatu (Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie “Carol Davila” & vCare project)
The Supply Side
– The NWE-Chance Hospitalisation@Home Platform on its openness to third party, Daniel Knoppel (HC@Home) – DoctorME, Caring Together 24/7 (Passion HF), Kay van der Mierden (Sananet) - Q&A
The Demand Side
– The NWE-Chance clinical and organisational feasibility study, Dr Martijn Scherrenberg (Jessa hospital) – Self-care and eHealth from Passion HF, Dr Hesam Amin (MUMC+) – Panel on implementation recommendations
– Hospitalisation@Home Innovation Hub, Janette Hughes (DHI) – DoctorME 2.0 (from Passion HF), Hans-Peter Brunner la Rocca (MUMC+) –Panel on accelerating digital innovation in healthcare
Panellists: – Alison Burdett (Sensium) – Luc Nicolas (EHTEL & vCare) – Frank Rooijakkers (HC@Home)
5 minutes to discover the Hospitalisation@Home Platform
Watch a short video explaining how the Hospitalisation@Home Platform can help care for heart failure patients recovering at home, by increasing the patient's quality of life and simplifying the care staff's work.
Towards hybrid care: the heart failure case – hospital and home
Based on work done by the NWE-Chance project and the experiences of two organisations, this special session run byEHTEL as part of the two-day Spotlights Telemedicine conference on 28-29 May 2021, explored the meaning of hybrid care. It showed how hospitals and care systems in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Romania, are implementing this blended care. The session reflected on three major challenges that are being faced: organisational, technical, and economic.
The 2020 Though Leader EHTEL Symposium: two interesting sessions
The 2020 edition of the Thought Leader EHTEL Symposiumexplored the speed-up of digital health services and their contributions to healthy and resilient communities. The 2020 COVID-19 outbreak reinforced the importance of good quality, and protective, care at home. The Symposium explored the implications of the pandemic for digital healthcare and highlighted aparadigm shift, by focusing on bringing together AI, Virtual Coaching, and the market for the first two in healthcare.
Bringing together digital therapeutics and mHealth: An innovation journey
Mainstreaming virtual healthcare encounters: Towards new care models
Open Hospital at Home - NWE-Chance mid-term workshop - video playlist