Three groups of municipalities and regions in Denmark are about to test eHealth solutions, with funds from the government’s Digital Welfare Strategy. The evaluations aim to let public administrations share best practices and learn from one another, and should increase the use of welfare technology.
The three projects have been granted subsidies of between DKK 1 million (about EUR 134,000) and DKK 1.5 million (about EUR 201,000), announced Denmark’s Agency for Digitisation.
The first project, which is led by the municipality of Aalborg, is to test solutions for the early detection of health issues in the elderly, including automatic alerts for medical professionals. The second project, led the municipality of Aabenraa, will try out the use of systems that automatically turn bed-ridden patients, and thereby reducing the number of medical staff needed to care for these patients. The third project evaluates the use of sensors installed in homes, to support home care for persons suffering from dementia. This test is led by the city of Aarhus.
eHealth and eWelfare
Denmark’s Digital Welfare Strategy 2013 - 2020 is managed by the Danish government, Local Government Denmark (LGDK) and Danish Regions. The aim is to increase the uptake of eHealth solutions, and increase the use of technology to improve welfare.
‘Afprøvning af velfærdsteknologiske løsninger’ (Testing of welfare technology solutions) is one part the Danish Digital Welfare Strategy. For these tests, grants are given once a year, with the first round in 2014. Funding for the next series of applications is expected around mid-2016.
More information:
Announcement by the Agency for Digitisation (in Danish)
Denmark’s digital welfare strategy