Four digital approaches for the comprehensive management of frailty move to the prototyping phase
Following the evaluation of the eight innovative approaches to comprehensive management of frailty in older adults, which started the competitive process at the end of last year, eCare’s four procurers, representing healthcare providers from Italy, Germany and Spain, have selected the four most promising ones, which will proceed to a phase of prototype development, starting on 15 July 2022.
In this phase, which will last for ten months, the suppliers will move forward with the prototyping development for the proposed solutions. After the evaluation that will follow the end of the period, the best two prototypes will be offered to continue with the testing of the concepts at the procurer’s sites during phase 3.
The call-off: moving from eight concepts to four prototypes
The eCare call-off is an evaluation process that is used in the PCP to select the best approaches and offer them a chance to continue into the next phase of research and development.
In late December 2021, eight innovation proposals were selected to compete in the eCare PCP among the 19 tender offers received during the open call. In the past few months, the 8 selected suppliers started with the solution design phase, in which they worked on demonstrating the technical, medical, financial and commercial feasibility of the proposed concepts and approaches to meet the procurement requirements.
Following the call-off, four approaches have been selected:
1. Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH) in consortium with Uni Systems Information Technology Systems. Greece
BONVITA moves far beyond the state of the art, offering a holistic technology platform, integrating all components that are essential for the effective screening, prevention and management of frailty and pre-frailty supporting integrated pathways and developing knowledge sharing. Also, is able to support in practice shared care plans that involve various stakeholders.
2. TELEVES in consortium with Foundation for Biomedic research from the University Hospital of Getafe, MG Biomed SL and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Spain
Their proposed solution is based on a set of technologies that comprises a monitoring sub-system for screening and follow-up, a digitalized older adult care model, and a virtual assistant for the delivery of preventive, therapeutic, and educational interventions.
3. Bilbest Bilişim Sağlık Eğitim Dış Ticaret ve San. Ltd. Şti in consortium with Estudios Mega SL and Zadig SRL. Turkey, Spain and Italy
SmartFOR will offer a disruptive, innovative and comprehensive care management system powered by artificial intelligence to provide customized therapeutic solutions and early care interventions in monitoring, predicting and preventing frailty and frailty-related symptoms in older adults.
4. Pulso Ediciones SL. Spain
SOFI will include different tools to detect frailty and pre-frailty in old adults. These technologies will make the solution capable of providing professionals with a tool to screen older adults and identify those who might have frailty or pre-frailty, not only from the clinical, physical and psychological point of view but also from a socioeconomic perspective.
From the design to a functioning system
The design that suppliers envisioned in Phase I will now turn into a reality. A functioning system will be developed by the suppliers in collaboration with the procuring healthcare providers during 10 months. The aim is to verify that the prototype’s main features meet the functional requirements and the expected performance while ensuring the solution is user-centred.
