Project Overview - Description
AMICA is aimed at providing medical management and medical care to patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD is a progressive pulmonary disease characterized by reduction in airflow and is not fully reversible. COPD is the major cause of mortality and increased levels of disability, particularly in the elderly. Symptoms vary among individuals and include breathlessness, dyspnea, abnormal sputum and chronic cough. Exposure to tobacco smoke is by far the most important risk factor in the development of COPD and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality.
Mortality
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in Europe. The frequency of clinically relevant COPD in adult population is 4-10% and it mainly affects people above the age of 50. COPD represents a burden to public health systems and has become a major public health problem demanding immediate attention.
Reduced quality of life
Due to COPD gradual development and its frequent exacerbations, COPD patients require increased levels of medical care. As the disease progresses, patients experience severe decrements in quality of life in a variety of dimensions including mobility, social function and emotional functioning. COPD has a great impact on patients’ family environment and caregivers, who usually are overwhelmed by the patient’s high levels of dependency.
Amica’s main aims: Challenging COPD & COPD Management
There are common known problems related to the care and disease management of COPD patients that influence progression of the disease and thus dramatically increase healthcare costs. In particular, these problems consist in inadequate patient education, lack of patient compliance to therapy guidelines (such as medication) and failure to detect early symptoms of exacerbations before the patient requires emergency treatment and / or hospitalization.
AMICA Beyond state-of-the-ART
MEDICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS
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210 million people suffer from COPD. It accounts for 5% deaths worldwide. This number will increase by 30% in the next 10 years. Average cost per patient: 3000 € appr .p/y in Germany.
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No available effective systems that merge professional supervision with patient self-management. So far, most of the developed systems attempting to reproduce hospital environment at home have been very expensive.
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AMICA proposes co-management by means of a single multifunction biomedical sensor and also trains elderly people on the required skills to follow therapy guidelines.
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User-friendly biomedical sensor to handle sleep-related disorders
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
- Monitoring Technologies
- Frequent misuse of spirometry in clinical settings
- AMICA:
- Uses a multifunction biomedical sensor
- Records breathing, and captures heart rate, physical activity and tracheal sounds.
- Displays variables and physiological parameters relevant to COPD and respiratory-related dysfunctions.
- Telemedical platform
- AMICA uses dedicated mobile device especially adapted to disease management and the needs of the elderly people.
Goals
AMICA Autonomy Motivation & Individual Management for COPD patients
- 1.- Diseases Management & Medical Care
- 2.- Social Interaction & European Health Tourism
- 3.- Technical & Medical Innovations
- 4.- Motivatior & Self-management