The DHE twinning OncologyInMotion aims to help cancer patients recover faster, both physically and psychologically, even from a distance.
Rehabilitation after cancer treatment is essential for the social and work reintegration of the patients. It is often complicated by various factors, such as the need for an individualised approach or the lack of recommendations which are effective for everyone.
The DHE twinning OncologyInMotion brings together the National Cancer Institute of Aviano (Italy) and Poliklinika Peharec of Pula (Croatia) and draws from the institute’s past experience with implementing an innovative program devoted to the rehabilitation following breast cancer surgery. The digital solution adopted by the clinic in the twinning is a software designed to collect patient data in real-time while also stimulating the performance of at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
As part of the DigitalHealthEurope twinning scheme, the program required that the patients who had undergone breast cancer surgery are assigned an individual exercise plan, which they followed for 12 months. During the twinning project, the solution’s app independently collected the personal data of the patients during their activity at home, so that the institutes involved in assisted rehabilitation can access and follow patient data at any time even from a distance. Thus, the proposed solution not only simplifies the collection of data and prevents its loss, but also significantly reduces the amount of work for the processing staff.
The twinning aims to provide regular contact with patients, who can thus feel assisted, even after discharge, when the healthcare treatment is over. It also allows patients to get closer to physical activity as they have an opportunity to always contact medical professionals who monitor and stimulate the correct execution of physical exercises.
The fact that the whole project was entirely produced with the engagement of an international multidisciplinary research team together with the patients confirms the high potential of the twinning, especially in light of the international collaboration of the adopter. With minimal investment, it could be spread as a new European standard of care, to implement effective digital disease prevention techniques and thus reduce the cost of health care in Europe.
More information about the OncologyInMotion twinning can be found here.