Identifying User Requirements for an Integrated E-Health Unit for Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

“Continuity of Care” is the main prerequisite for the unhindered movement of people across borders within the European Union (EU). The COntinuity of care in MEtabolic diseases through modern TECHnology (COMETECH) project aims to address the problem of inadequate access to health system services to people who live in isolated communities in Greece and North Macedonia cross-border areas. As the project is almost completed, 4 e-health units—2 in each country—have been established in isolated and deprived communities, aiming at introducing “Continuity of Care” for patients with diabetes in the border region between those countries. The establishment of the e-health units allows affordable access to medical services within Greece-North Macedonia cross-border area. These units (equipped with state-of-the-art medical devices, supported by an advanced software application and medical staff) record data of local people and offer valuable and high-quality medical care services. The records of the EU citizens using the COMETECH services are safely and easily accessible by their physicians. This paper presents the user requirements of e-health units and the medical devices that are set up for the COMETECH Project for helping people with diabetes in the targeted countries.