Health care systems in Europe are facing a period of profound changes resulting from a variety of factors including demography and advances in technology. Ageing of population together with a high prevalence of concurrent chronic disorders generate an extensive use of health care and social services. Recent projections indicate boosting of these two factors at least up to the year 2020. Moreover, because of specific characteristics of patients with chronic co-morbid conditions, a substantial degree of flexibility of health care services is increasingly required. Overall, these phenomena are the main cause of dysfunction in the traditional European health care models.

The integration of evolving Information and Telecommunications technologies is seen as one of the key success factors for the implementation of a user centred model of social-health care.

The objective of the CHRONIC project is to develop a new European model for the care of chronic patients, based on an integrated IT environment, to provide effective and efficient health care services in the new millennium.

CHRONIC project is creating an innovative chronic care information environment to support the care of chronic patients. The innovative use of the technology is a main objective of the project.

CHRONIC is going to provide patients with a user friendly, high quality, personalised, single entry point to health related contents, information and services, taking advantage of the Information Society tools and infrastructure.

CHRONIC information platform supports new organisational schemes in chronic patient care that enables health care organisations to take advantage of information technologies, achieving a better use of resources, creating added value, delineating new business and new working opportunities. It favours the externalisation of health services, contributing to the growth of health-care related industries base on specially arranged professionals networks.

CHRONIC brings, through telematic applications, the benefits of the diagnostic and therapeutic competence of specialised centres and professionals to doctors and nurses of patients in primary care units, increasing the effectiveness and cost/efficiency of the health care system.

CHRONIC helps the convergence of information processing, communication and media, by means of the integration in a single platform a

ll the devices, processes and tools needed required for the care of chronic patients. CHRONIC is basically a provision of tele-care at the point of need, by means of providing at any time home access to the health information infrastructure.

CHRONIC develops affordable technological appliances and services that enables chronic patients to take a more active role in care and rehabilitation. The home-based tele-care system together with the Chronic Care Management Centre configure a personal health system that communicates with the rest of the health information infrastructure. The use of home monitoring devices makes possible to gather information about the clinical condition of the patient thus introducing an efficient alternative to conventional institutional care for chronic patients.