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Online personal care journal (DK)

Project partners Department for Eldercare, Vejen Kommune

Contact data
Simon Simonsen
Vejen Kommune
Denmark
tel. +45 79966103
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Keywords digital services, e-care, eldercare, healthy ageing


Main problems to be solved (analysis)
Citizens quite often make telephone calls to the eldelyr care organisation to ask questions about their relatives and how they are doing. Maybe they have settled in another part of Denmark and are not able to visit their old parents so often. As an alternative to telephone calls it is possible for citizens to get access to their personal care journal via an internet based web-portal. They can also allow other people e.g. their children to have access to the journal. Via the web portal they can read the journal and send a message directly to the municipality’s care organisation if necessary.

Access to the personal care journal must be absolutely secure, and for log-in we now have the NEM-ID Signature System (=Easy-ID Signature) in Denmark which can be used for e.g. home banking, tax matters and a lot of other personal and private matters.

A software extension to the elderly care system has been bought for that purpose, but the function has not yet been activated.

Policy frameworks to be dealt with/fitting in This project is related to “The Danish E-government Strategy 2007-2010” as well as the updated version for 2010-2015

In Vejen Kommune we give advice how to use NEM-ID Signature to citizens who ask for that. The Departments for Eldercare, Healthcare and Social Affairs must be prepared and able to answer questions from citizens transmitted by the web-portal from the elderly care system.

Aim of the project • To give access via a secure web-portal for citizens and their relatives and for members of eldelyr care staff to personal health care journals.

(Expected) Results • We expect a better and more flexible service for elderly people with care, cure or prevention needs and for their relatives too. • We expect a more cost-effective praxis when a number of citizens and their relatives inform themselves via the web-portal instead of calling a nurse.

• Documentation and information can be exchanged correctly and quickly to citizen/relative because it is in writing • Distance is no problem for exchange of information or communication • Access to information for citizen/relatives open for 24 hours a day • Citizen/relatives have the opportunity to follow progress very closely and keep informed without disturbing the staff • Citizen/relative can ask relevant questions to the staff because high level information is accessible and always updated • The staff realize the importance of expressing themselves precisely, so everybody can understand notes/messages and misunderstandings can be avoided.

(Expected) outcome within the WP This web-portal will increase quality of service to citizens and their relatives because it gives flexible access to information. The nurses in the elderly care staff will not be interrupted by phone calls from relatives as often as before and finally we expect increasing quality in the care journals because they must be precisely updated and understandable to all readers.

We will exchange experience with the partners in the Vital Rural Area project because web-portals like this one either already are or will be introduced in all our countries.

(Expected) outcome for the region as a whole (impact of the project; effects may be written in terms of the sustainability triangle = 3 P approach (people, planet, profit), i.e. benefits on the social, economical and physical part) Benefits are more effective exchange of information and probably a minor cost reduction because citizens and their relatives use the digital self-service solution as an alternative to telephone calls. Another benefit might be more precise written personal care journals.

Planning The pilot project has been planned for some time but has unfortunately been delayed. We have been waiting for a software update of the elderly care system from our service provider. The project is expected to be realized in 2nd half of 2012.

Here are some key elements: Development of competences and take off for: • Technical setup and test of the web-portal • Design of folder with information about the web-portal • Design of guide to citizen/relative about the web-portal • Design of guide to staff about web-portal • Implementation of new routines in care organization • Information to citizen/relatives when care is applied and assigned • Guide for use of NEM-ID Service • The process will be evaluated by involving 20 citizens and staff members, and the results will be presented in a report. Information will be spread.

Costs Man hours for preparation and realization of the web-portal project will be registered. We estimate a total spending of 250 man hours for the pilot project: = 10000 €

Financing Man hours are registrered and co-financed via the Vital Rural Area project. All other spendings are financed by Vejen Kommune.

Implementation of the project (cf. CAA): The outcome and the experience from this pilot project will be spread and implemented when we are ready for that.

Related projects No similar projects have been identified but there are some projects with similar aspects:

Dreaming: ElDeRly-friEndly Alarm handling and MonitorING: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/factsheet/index.cfm?project_ref=225023

inCASA: Integrated Network for Completely Assisted Senior citizen’s Autonomy: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/factsheet/index.cfm?project_ref=250505

PALANTE: PAtient Leading and mANaging their healThcare through Ehealth http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/factsheet/index.cfm?project_ref=297260

SSEDIC: Scoping the Single European Digital Identity Community http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/factsheet/index.cfm?project_ref=270901

SUSTAINS: Support USers To Access INformation and Services: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/factsheet/index.cfm?project_ref=297206

Applicability and transferability To transfer ideas and experience from this pilot project to other areas or countries some basic issues have to be solved. First of all you need access to internet and you don’t need a very fast connection to get access to this web-portal. More important is how secure access to personal data can be ensured. In Denmark we have our NEM-ID solution combined with our Central Personal Register (CPR) which is an absolute secure solution. Other countries may have similar solutions. Finally you have to enable access via internet to your digital eldercare system. To ensure quality of content and information you need routines to ensure constant and proper update of the system and the care journals by the eldercare staff. This can be done instantly via different devices like PDAs, iPads, laptops etc. depending on coverage and access to mobile broadband networks with enough capacity for data transmission. Bad or missing mobile network access can be a common problem in rural areas, and this must be considered when planning the routines for use of the eldercare system on spot.

Tools from this project • Business case standard model (internal) • User manual for citizens (to be developed)

Last update of this format: December 3th 2012