The H2Hcare project aimed to develop a digital assistance platform that integrates Internet of Things (IoT) devices, machine learning and a digital assistant to support elderly people with heart failure in their transition from hospital discharge to home care. The platform provides a direct link between patients and doctors through which doctors can answer patients’ questions. The digital assistant gives patients personalized advices on the treatment they should follow and reminds them when to take their medication. Patient monitoring is done with IoT devices that collect relevant data on the patient’s health status as well as data on the daily activities performed. The monitored data is analyzed to detect if there is a deterioration in the state of health that requires an intervention by the doctor.
Due to its potential to improve transitional care processes, the project has a strong social and economic impact. The platform will ensure the coordinated transition from hospital to home, will increase the patient’s trust in the medical system and will reduce the number of hospitalizations. At the same time, it will make the work of the medical staff/caregivers easier and more efficient. From an economic perspective, the platform will contribute to reducing healthcare costs and to an efficient allocation of health resources. The scientific and technological results obtained in the project will contribute to the development of the eHealth care field by offering innovative solutions based on IoT and automatic learning algorithms that aim to improve the health of the elderly and the system of home medical care services.