Research &
Innovation

HealthIntelAct

HealthIntelAct is an international research project funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Doctoral Networks under the prestigious Horizon Europe initiative. Building on the success of the recently completed HealthPros project, in which OptiMedis was also a partner, it brings together 17 doctoral students conducting interdisciplinary research in three key areas: People – strengthening patient-centred care and promoting fairness and inclusivity in healthcare; Planet – enhancing environmental responsibility in the healthcare sector and fostering sustainable behaviours; and Prosperity – advancing the social and financial sustainability of health and care systems. The projects collaborate across Europe, bringing together academia, practice, and industry in equal measure. Within HealthIntelAct, OptiMedis is responsible for training and supervising three doctoral students and leads the work package Environmentally sustainable health and care systems.

AGATHE

On behalf of the Thuringian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family, OptiMedis evaluated the AGATHE – Ageing in the Community programme. The aim is to better integrate people over the age of 63 who live alone into community life to reduce or prevent loneliness. AGATHE has been implemented in eleven regions in Thuringia since 2021. OptiMedis carried out an interim evaluation from April 2023 to April 2024 to assess the programme’s effectiveness and provide specific recommendations for its further development. Using a qualitative approach, 120 interviews were conducted with senior citizens, AGATHE staff and municipal representatives. In the second phase, the findings were discussed in focus groups, and the final results were presented at a public event in Erfurt in April 2024.

COMPAR-EU

COMPAR-EU aims to identify, compare, and evaluate the most effective self-management interventions (SMIs) for adults in Europe. The focus is on patients with one of the following four chronic diseases: type 2 diabetes, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart failure. Based on the comparison of different self-management interventions, decision support tools will be developed for physicians, patients, guideline developers, and policy makers. Seven partners from five countries are working on the project, including OptiMedis. We are responsible for the website www.self-management.eu, which will also provide comprehensive information on decision aids for patients and healthcare providers, and is to be expanded as the primary information portal on this topic in the EU. We also developed a data management plan outlining the approach for collecting and processing large amounts of data over the entire project duration, a communication and dissemination plan with strategies for sharing project results, and business plans for the practical implementation of the identified interventions.

JADECARE

The Joint Action on Implementation of Digitally Enabled Integrated Person-Centred Care (JADECARE) is an EU-funded project and part of the European Union’s initiative The Third Health Programme 2014–2020 – funding health initiatives. The digital development of healthcare systems in the EU aims to promote person-centred, digitally supported care for the population. A total of 17 partners and 40 regions from across Europe are taking part. Four best-practice models in Europe serve as templates for implementing proven care methods in various European healthcare systems – including the OptiMedis care model. In cooperation with Eurometropole Strasbourg, OptiMedis advises institutions in six European countries on introducing the OptiMedis approach.

OECD study PaRIS

As part of the OECD’s international consortium Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS), OptiMedis is developing measurement methods to assess the quality of care from the perspective of chronically ill patients. These methods are used to collect data in OECD member countries. The aim is to create internationally comparable indicators that capture the experiences and outcomes of people with chronic illnesses in outpatient care. Among other activities, OptiMedis is developing a questionnaire based on already validated Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs – patient-reported outcomes of care) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs – patient-reported experiences of care).

Scirocco Exchange

SCIROCCO Exchange aims to support the introduction and expansion of integrated care in Europe. The project involves developing a model for integrated care, implementing it in several EU countries, and facilitating the corresponding knowledge transfer. OptiMedis is responsible for collecting the “Scirocco Maturity” matrix on integrated care in Germany and recommends concrete quality improvement measures based on the matrix surveys from all countries, to be reviewed and implemented within the respective regional contexts.