Together with the University of Augsburg and the Augsburg University Hospital, the three universities in Kempten (project management), Neu-Ulm and Augsburg have been developing digital solutions for the challenges of care since 2019. The aim of the project: to support caregivers, family caregivers and those in need of care through the use of new technical-digital systems and processes. The Bavarian State Ministry for Health and Care had already funded the one-year concept phase of the project with 450,000 euros. Now the Free State is supporting the implementation of the developed solutions until 2024 with further funding amounting to 6.1 million euros.
CARE REGIO is being carried out on the part of HNU by the DigiHealth Institute under the direction of Prof. Dr. Walter Swoboda. "This is a showcase project for HNU and an outstanding opportunity for the university as well as the professors involved," says HNU President Prof. Dr. Uta M. Feser. "HNU is responsible for the central scientific evaluation and also has the task of supporting the project partners in complying with medical framework conditions, ethical and data protection guidelines and laws." The scientific evaluation makes it possible to compare the results of the sub-projects with each other and also other projects. Furthermore, the DigiHealth Institute supports the Augsburg University Hospital in setting up a knowledge platform for nurses (PflegeWiki) and the University of Augsburg in introducing a research database for nursing.
Digital solutions for the care of the future - with the focus on people
By means of a transfer study, the project consortium in the Swabian university triangle had identified four fields of action with high digitalisation potential, which are now being tested in practice in six sub-projects. HNU is responsible for the central scientific evaluation. This is the only way to compare the results of the sub-projects with each other and with other projects. One of these is the sub-project "PflegeWiki" (Nursing Wiki): Together with the Augsburg University Hospital, HNU is developing a knowledge platform for further education, on which nursing-relevant specialist knowledge is prepared in a way that is suitable for the target group.
HNU is also supporting the project partners in complying with medical framework conditions and laws in the project, explains HNU project manager Prof. Dr. Walter Swoboda. "We deliberately decided to create a separate sub-project for data protection and ethics. Because the focus is on people: they are served by technology and not the other way around."
In this project, the university is working closely with the Health Region Plus of the Neu-Ulm district (Link: landkreis.neu-ulm.de/de/gesundheitsregion-plus/gesundheitsregion-plusneu.html, Head of Office: Mr. Marc Löchner). The main focus here will be on cooperation with regional providers in the district.
All sub-projects of CARE REGIO are to be implemented by 2024 and then ideally rolled out across Bavaria.
Contact at the HNU
Further information
In July 2020, CARE REGIO received the "Best Communication Paper" award at the e-conference "18th International Conference on Informatics, Management and Technology in Healthcare (ICIMTH) 2020" in Athens.
