HeartCycle, a new approach in disease management

Europe’s health system is undergoing radical changes due to an aging population. It is moving from reactive towards preventative care, and from hospital care to care at home. Tomorrow’s patients will become more empowered to take their health into their own hands. New ICT is required to enable this paradigm shift. HeartCycle will provide a closed-loop disease management solution for heartfailure patients and patients who had a heart attack. This will be achieved by multi-parametric monitoring and analysis of vital signs and other measurements. Adverse event alarms will be generated for immediate professional attention and an automated decision support system will derive therapy recommendations from the information acquired. Vital body signs will be used to track health status and the impact of the current treatment, showing the patient the importance of adherence to the treatment, motivating improved treatment adherence, and a more active role in his care. The regular measurement of vital signs will enable early diagnosis and warning of developing problems. Furthermore, it will allow closer monitoring of the effects of medication and lifestyle, making more personalised treatment plans possible. The first three years of the project are dedicated to researching and realizing the technical system solution, whereas year four is preserved for the clinical validation of the achieved results.