A novel approach for design and testing digital m-health applications

The management of age related diseases is one of the most discussed and controverted topic in Healthcare policy: cost-efficient solutions are needed to reduce the economic impact on welfare systems and to improve the quality of life of the patients. This is particularly true for chronic diseases, in which a simple, but continuous monitoring of suitable functional parameters able to evaluate the patient status would allow a consistent reduction of hospitalizations. In this paper we present the experience derived from a “Living Lab”, a novel model of participated innovation in which the end-user plays a crucial role. We co-designed, implemented and tested a m-health solution for remote monitoring of physiological parameters directly from chronic patients´ house according to a clinical protocol defined by healthcare professionals. For this aim set of parameters such as Blood Pressure, Body Weight, Heart Rate, Pulse Oximetry was measured and, if needed, the answers to a questionnaire. The proposed system allows to reduce the hospitalization rate and to increase the empowerment of the patient in the self-management of his chronic health condition.