e-Health: A Future Solution for Optimized Management of Elderly Patients. GER-e-TEC™ Project

Medicines (Basel). 2020 Jul 23;7(8):41. doi: 10.3390/medicines7080041.

Abstract

Background: Elderly residents in nursing homes have multiple comorbidities (including cognitive and psycho-behavioral pathologies, malnutrition, heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and renal failure) and use multiple medications. Methods: The GER-e-TEC project aims to provide these fragile and complex patients with telemedicine tools, more specifically telemonitoring, backed by a well-defined and personalized protocol. Results: Medically, this implies the need for regular monitoring and a high level of medical and multidisciplinary expertise for the healthcare team. The tools use non-invasive communicating sensors and artificial intelligence techniques, allowing daily monitoring with the ability to detect any abnormal changes in the patient's condition early. Conclusions: The GER-e-TEC project specifically considers the challenges of aging residents and significant challenges in nursing homes, with the main geriatric syndromes (falls, malnutrition, cognitive-behavioral disorders, and iatrogenic conditions).

Keywords: GER-e-TEC; artificial intelligence; detection of the precursory signs of decompensation of geriatric syndromes; elderly patient; geriatric syndromes; remote monitoring; telemedicine.