e4CARE - Fostering new digital care models in healthcare and social care sectors
Project description:
The recent pandemic has speeded up the processes of adaptation of mHealth solutions, or the implementation of the digital tools in many healthcare and social care (HC&SC) areas, but it also uncovered several obstacles that exist on the demand side of it. It includes, among others lack of overall digital competencies and specific eHealth knowledge within the healthcare and social care workforce, as well as a lack of VET adaptation to the increasing sectoral needs. On top of that, between-country differences expose even more gaps in this respect. In some countries like Poland, or Romania, the digital transformation of HC&SC services is still severely underdeveloped, while other countries (like France) for almost a decade have national strategies implementing the process. As a result of the pandemic shocks for the HC&SC sectors, the majority of funds devoted to these sectors, are aimed at rebuilding the system, strengthening the basic services, preparing for future pandemic turbulences, and much fewer funds is being devoted to the reskilling and upskilling of the HC&SC workforce. The aim of this project is to address the needs of HC&SC workforce and to equip the VET system with innovative educational tools and materials, that can help and support digital transformation in the HC&SC sectors through securing digital readiness and resilience of their workforce.
Objectives:
The e4CARE project’s aim is to provide a one-of-a-kind innovative didactic inventory, which will fill the EU and national gaps in terms of digital competence shortages among healthcare and social care professionals in innovating the care model. The objective of e4CARE is also to immediately respond to the new EC priorities with the NextGenerationEU strategy towards the stronger European Health Union. The concrete objectives are to:
- identify and map the digital care tools being created (but not necessarily used) in the healthcare and social care services during the last couple of years;
- identify and list the digital skills needed for the effective use of the digital tools, as well as assess the skills gap of the healthcare workforce in this respect;
- create an educational innovative tools that would secure and increase healthcare and social care (potential) workforces’ digital competencies;
- provide an online space for local, regional and national healthcare and social care stakeholders to exchange best practices, build knowledge, gain educational materials and increase their awareness in this respect;
- provide policymakers at the national and regional level with the solutions, best practices and recommendations that can help them speed up the digitalization process of care provision more effectively without using unnecessary costs
Project funding: Erasmus+, European Commission,
Project partners: ASOCIATIA OAMENILOR DE AFACERI ARGES (AOA Arges), AINTEK SYMVOULOI EPICHEIRISEON EFARMOGES YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIAS EKPAIDEFSI ANONYMI ETAIREIA (IDEC), Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE), Aksantys, CAMINUL ALEXIA SRL, GORNA Greek Operating Room Nurses Association.
