E-Health4Cancer aimed to exchange good practices in the use of nonclinical e-health solutions to support adults with cancer and their informal caregivers. This objective was pursued by assessing the current state-of-the-art of digital tools for nonclinical support of cancer patients and their caregivers in Europe, with a specific focus on the project partners’ countries in Italy, Greece, and Denmark. Additionally, the project aimed to convene cancer patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to share views, discuss challenges, and generate ideas. Ultimately, E-Health4Cancer was established with the overarching objective of equipping cancer patients and informal caregivers with new knowledge on affordable, user-friendly, relevant, and beneficial nonclinical e-health solutions, and thereby also exploring means to increase their access to such tools during this digital transformation age.
There are currently enormous, rapid advancements in the development of digital tools and systems. In recent years, digital technology has transformed health and caregiving, with digital tools emerging as powerful aids, offering solutions to address the needs and challenges faced by patients and informal carers. Given this project consortium's experience and motivation to improve patient care through technology and its commitment to addressing health inequalities in cancer, the E-health4Cancer project focuses on digital tools for cancer, specifically those intended for personal use, a.k.a. ‘nonclinical’ tools. The E-Health4Cancer project addressed several critical needs towards a more equitable and effective digital health landscape for cancer care, by asking key questions: - What do current digital tools for cancer look like? - Do care or information needs, resources, and rates of technological development vary across different countries in Europe? How can we prevent the tools from perpetuating health inequalities? - What are some areas for improvement to ensure future developments are targeted and effective? - What digital strategies can be developed to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and caregivers in Europe?