Chronicity is a health-system-modifying factor, generating structural changes, and technology is a strategically important enabling factor of upcoming changes to confront this problem. This was the theme of Capital Radio’s discussion "Chronicity, ageing and dependency” with GMV’s participation.

Some of the themes dealt with by Javier Téllez, GMV’s health solutions specialist, were the results gleaned by the telemedicine platform antari in the monitoring of chronic patients, frail and pre-frail persons, as part of the FACET project led by Doctor Leocadio Rodríguez Mañas, head of the Geriatrics Service of the Hospital Universitario de Getafe and its research institute, and the sensor-based forecasting of possible exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The monitoring of chronic patients and the elderly could significantly cut down the number of hospital admissions, while also heading off health impairment risks. “There is evidence of the ability of sensors to detect a COPD exacerbation up to 72 hours beforehand by recording a change in patient activity”, pointed out Téllez. If we bear in mind that “the daily hospital cost amounts to 2000 euros” the benefits of this patient monitoring technology speak for themselves. Similarly, low-cost sensors such as those used in FACET enable “the specialist to monitor the elderly person’s activity: the number of times he or she sits down at home, the walking speed … without the person having to interact with the technology”. Because, as Rodríguez Mañas insists, in line with the FACET approach “the patient is assessed in terms of activity not illness”. The geriatrician calls for an “urgent change in the elderly-treatment approach” viewing them from the perspective of function rather than illness. Because “in over-80s, eighty percent of the death risk is accounted for by age and gender, 12% by function and only 0.7% by the illness”.

Others participating in the panel discussion besides GMV were Javier Benavente, president of Alares, Prof. José Luis Monteagudo, Vice President of Research and Innovation of the Spanish Health IT Society (Sociedad Española de Informática de la Salud: SEIS), José Luis Baquero Ubeda, Director of the Spanish Patients’ Forum, Jaime del Barrio, President of the Digital Health Association (Asociación Salud Digital: ASD), Dr. Leocadio Rodríguez Mañas, Head of the Geriatrics Service of Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Dr. Ángel Ayuso, HM Hospitales Director of the Neuro-Oncology and Thoracic Oncology Laboratory of FiHM, Fernando Mugarza, Corporate Development Director of IDIS, Manuel Vilches, Director General of IDIS, representative of ASPE and Lucia Palomo, Deputy Manager of ASPE.