Integration of personal health systems into intelligent living environments

Solutions from information and communication technology (ICT) can contribute to the better care of chronic patients and the elderly. Personal health systems (PHS) are designed for remote health monitoring of home-residing patients (especially chronic patients), while intelligent living environments facilitate everyday tasks for the sick and disabled prolonging their independence and reducing the pressure on health institutions and nursing homes.The widespread prevalence of chronic diseases and the market potential of both PHS and intelligent homes indicate a potential user group for both types of systems. We believe that a tighter integration of the two types of systems could have beneficial results from both the technical implementation and cost of service, as well as from improved usability due to the lower number of different user devices and interfaces.Three of our pilot projects have integrated PHS in intelligent home systems. In the case of the IRIS Smart Home, we developed a system for monitoring blood pressure and integrated it into an existing solution for home environment control. We continued the work with the IDT project where we developed a comprehensive intelligent home solution designed for providing services within an operator's environment. ‘Moje zdravje’ (My health) was the third pilot project; here, we integrated health services into a next-generation TV user interface.The results of the pilot projects support the logic behind the suggested systems integration. The main benefits are the more effective technical implementation, improved usability, and lower cost of service. Further challenges lie in forming appropriate business models, creating adequate links to the health care information system, and proper inclusion of medical staff in the telehealth services.