Implementing Transnational Telemedicine Solutions: Project Overview

New Project: ITTS Innovative telemedicine solutions to transform health service delivery in Northern Europe

ITTS Fact Sheet Start Date: 1 st September 2011 End Date: 31 st December 2013 Budget: €2,321,755 Lead Partner: Centre for Rural Health, University of Aberdeen

Project Partners

Project Aims

Objective The ITTS project will implement 10 demonstrator projects throughout 6 partner countries

Objective

Project Structure The project will be implemented through 5 workpackages: Workpackage 1: Management, coordination and communication Workpackage 2: Telemedicine expertise to ensure excellence of the project Workpackage 3: Identification and planning of demonstrator projects Workpackage 4: Implementation of demonstrator projects Workpackage 5: Evaluation and sustainability of demonstrator projects The workpackages are based on a set of interrelated activities, including best practice and transnational learning

Telemedicine Expertise: ITAS ITAS will bring together clusters of expertise to provide advice on the selection, design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of demonstrator projects. It will consist of: o Academic experts o Experienced service providers o Clinicians o Policy makers o Enterprise and business representatives ITAS will encourage the growth of transnational clinician networks across the partnership

Services in Existence

Planned Implementation

Demonstrator Projects: Video-consultation VC Links for Speech Therapy Services VC Links for Remote Renal Services VC Links for Emergency Psychiatry Services VC Links for Remote Diabetes Services

Project 1: VC Links for Speech Therapy Services Established in Sweden since 2007 where speech therapists consult with patients in their own homes Previously trialled in Scotland Now expanding in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland

Project 1: VC Links for Speech Therapy Services

Project 2: VC Links for Remote Renal Services Established in Norway (2002) and Scotland (2010) where specialists consult with patients in or near their own homes To be implemented in Northern Ireland and expanded in Scotland and Sweden Service to extend to include both outpatients and home dialysis patients

Project 2: VC Links for Remote Renal Services

Project 3: VC Links for Emergency Psychiatry Services Norway: Decentralised on-call service via VC offered for adult mental health patients since 2009 North Norway and Sweden expanding this service to child psychiatry Adult service to be exported to Scotland, leaning on knowledge gathered from existing service in Norway

Project 3: VC Links for Emergency Psychiatry Services

Project 4: VC Links for Remote Diabetes Services Established in Finland and Scotland where video-clinics help minimise travel times for specialists, enabling more patient consultations Finland to export service to Northern Ireland Scotland to expand service and exchange knowledge with Finland and Northern Ireland VC technology to be applied to other specialties and used to deliver teaching

Project 4: VC Links for Remote Diabetes Services

Demonstrator Projects: Smartphones Smartphones for Tracking Physical Activity Smartphones and Internet Support for Diabetes Smartphones for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Project 5: Smartphones for Tracking Physical Activity Smartphone app (‘Accupedo’) using accelerometer technology to be trialled in Ireland Project to be exported to wider partnership based on pilot scheme’s findings

Project 5: Smartphones for Tracking Physical Activity

Project 6: Smartphones and Internet Support for Diabetes International knowledge exchange forum Discussions around technology challenges and solutions Learning to inform future commercial development

Project 6: Smartphones and Internet Support for Diabetes

Project 7: Smartphones for IBD Use of smartphones in disease management to deliver more personalised care to patients with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) Service being implemented in Scotland and will be exported to Ireland

Project 7: Smartphones for IBD

Demonstrator Projects: Home-based services Remote Support in Medical and Social Care Emergencies Remote Exercise Classes for Rehabilitation Home-based Service Delivery for Patients with Multimorbidity

Project 8: Remote Support in Medical & Social Care Emergencies In Scotland, Highland Hub provides streamlined out-of-hours service across 4 health boards Service to be exported to Finland

Project 8: Remote Support in Medical & Social Care Emergencies

Project 9: Remote Exercise Classes for Rehabilitation Delivery of rehabilitation classes to communities or patient homes Previously trialled in Scotland and service to be expanded Now exporting to Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden and Finland

Project 9: Remote Exercise Classes for Rehabilitation

Project 10: Home-based Service Delivery for Patients with Multimorbidity Scotland and Northern Ireland using home-based monitoring to support patients with complex health needs Service to be exported to Finland and Sweden

Project 10: Home-based Service Delivery for Patients with Multimorbidity

Evaluation Demonstrator projects will be evaluated using common methods, a researcher will coordinate activity across the partner countries. Methods include: – use of an evaluation toolkit; – an analysis of health service activity; – surveys of staff and patients; – interviews with stakeholders; – a health economics analysis; – socio-economic modelling of the impact of roll out Outputs: – final report, – a guide, interactive checklist for policymakers and service planners – academic papers

Outcome of the Project Sustainable telemedicine services Delivered at scale Demonstrated to be working Demonstrated to be effective