S.M.I.L.E

Caredoc, in partnership with NetwellCASALA at Dundalk IT and the Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation (TCPHI) at Trinity College Dublin are delivering the SMILE project funded by Sláintecare.

SMILE is a new, innovative service to enable Irish citizens to proactively self-manage their health and well-being from home supported by a digital platform and nurse-led remote assessment and triage. Participants with two or more conditions including diabetes, COPD, chronic heart failure, and heart disease will use a selection of healthcare devices based on their needs to monitor their health and wellbeing.  Using the ‘ProACT’ digital health platform, developed by researchers in NetwellCASALA at Dundalk IT and the TCPHI at Trinity College Dublin, participants can monitor their data (captured by their devices) and receive education about their conditions through their ProACT app. Alerts are monitored daily and participants are supported by an experienced telephone triage nurse.

One of the aims of the Sláintecare Integration Fund is to test and scale innovative new ways of providing care that will allow people to avoid attending hospital, and to receive the care they need as close to home as possible.  This project aims to prevent a deterioration in participant conditions, empower them to engage with their own health within the community setting and to avoid hospital admissions.

Monitoring devices including blood pressure monitors, blood sugar monitors, oxygen monitors, weighing scales, and activity monitors are allocated to participants based on their requirements. Participants record their healthcare data at home and submit the readings from devices to a specifically designed software program. Participant alerts are monitored daily by the telephone triage nurse.

Remote nurse triage has been introduced to support the older adults with multiple conditions, self-manage at home using their wearable technology.  Care is delivered in a more appropriate way as participants are monitored and empowered to maintain their health and well-being and directed to the appropriate clinician (e.g. nurse specialist, GP etc) before their condition deteriorates or if there are any abnormal readings. Using gentle reminder motivational tools about medication management and understanding the importance of diet and exercise in their health management has increased the quality of life for participants.

Listen below to a segment ran by RTÉ about the SMILE project in September 2020. It includes interviews with 2 participants in the project describing how it has positively impacted their lives, as well as input from CareDoc staff involved in the initiative.

This project has received funding from the Government of Ireland’s Sláintecare Integration Fund 2019 under Grant Agreement Number 137.