e-Health

Pilot project on the application of digital technologies for the reduction of chronic pathologies.

According to the "Active Ageing Strategy Estrena, Principality of Asturias 2018-2021″1, at national level, Asturias has one of the most ageing populations in Spain with a population over 65 years old of over 20%, expecting an increase to 33.10% in 2031. Added to this ageing is a progressive worsening of the perception of health as age increases. Both aspects will be addressed through the e-Health Mission, whose essential objective is the application of digital technologies to prevent the appearance of chronic diseases that are more prevalent in the region and that imply a limitation of active ageing, understood as a process that evolves throughout a person's life.

Thus, a holistic approach will be taken, taking into account the needs at each stage of a person's life, in order to both mitigate the effects of ageing in the most appropriate way for each of them, as well as to educate and improve the prospects of the population, especially the elderly, in terms of health, using digital technologies as a backbone tool for intervention. The analysis and validation of the potential application of combined technologies in the form of medical devices, or in isolation, will make it possible to address the needs of the population at each stage of their lives, taking into account the prevention of pathologies associated with ageing, as well as reducing the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases with a clear proactive approach to ensure positive active ageing.

Within the Mission, e-Health proposes as an applied pilot project the Application of digital technologies for the reduction of chronic pathologies associated with back pain from adolescence to advanced ages. Specifically, this pilot will focus on improving the treatment and continuous monitoring of a disease present in adolescents which, if it progresses or is not detected in time, can cause severe problems throughout their lives, such as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which deforms the spine by means of a curvature. Current methods will be updated by manufacturing a customised corset through additive printing, which also has sensor technology that facilitates the monitoring and evolution of the patient, complementing the process of interaction with the patient with assistive robotics and telemedicine technologies.

Summary