Work Package 1 – Management and Logistics

Design the process and mechanism to ensure a coherent project in managerial and contractual terms. This WP will deal with the day-to-day administration of the project and it will have an oversight role with regards to milestones and deliverables. It will make sure to implement clear rules and it will take the responsibilities for the final financial implementation of the project. In particular, this WP will work together with WP1,WP2, WP3, WP4 and WP5 to:

• Develop and implement a coherent and practical work structure for the duration of the project,
• Take responsibility for all EC contractual and financial obligations,
• Liaise with other sister initiatives within and outside VPH in concert with WP4,
• Ensure a transparent managerial and communication structure for the project
• Ensure a coherent policy on the Digital Patient agenda for the different groups involved (scientists and technology developers, policy makers, industrial partners, clinicians, etc.),
• Identify mechanisms for policy and governance during and after the duration of the project,
• Design, in concert with WP4, the consultation processes to be followed,
• Work jointly with WP4 in the logistics of events,
• Participate in the production of the Roadmap.

Work Package 2 – Identification of Scientific and Technological Challenges

The goal of WP2 is to lead a scientific and technological discussion with key players in and out the VPH sphere to determine what are the key bottlenecks to be tackled in the next 10 years to achieve the Digital Patient vision. WP2 will work mainly with WP3, WP4 and the rest of WPs in order to:

  • Contact the relevant stakeholders and to advance discussions with regards (but not limited) to IPR, data protection, ethics and open access that are a hindrance to the achievement of this vision.
  • Foster discussions and produce recommendations in the areas of simulation and modelling, visualization, EHR integration, knowledge integration, physiology/pathology knowledge discovery.
  • Foster discussions and produce recommendations in the all embracing areas: semantic interoperability, trust and quality.
  • Produce case studies and Industrial scenarios
  • Produce a concrete recommendation about specific needs identified within these case studies.
  • Identify the requirements and constraints for the successful adoption of the Digital Patient in the industry.
  • Cooperate with WP3 in the development of Clinical scenarios

Work Package 3 – Clinical Acceptance, Translation and Exploitation

WP3 will engage with key representatives spanning the broadest spectrum of clinical backgrounds, from Clinical Practitioners, Patient Representatives and Regulatory Agencies, and lead discussions to establish the spectrum of ambition and potential requirements of Healthcare Professionals in the context of the VPH Digital Patient. These activities will include the identification and exploration of perceived barriers to widespread uptake and acceptance of the vision for all levels of ambition. Working together with WP2, WP4 and WP5, WP3 will:

  • Develop a set of clinically relevant and convincing scenarios of use of a Digital Patient visualisation, to help refine and later promote the concept
  • Understand the data sources needing to feed the Digital Patient avatar, their availability and quality
  • Understand how multi-professional clinical decisions utilising the Digital Patient will be best captured, preserved and shared
  • Identify the requirements and constraints for the successful use of the Digital Patient in clinical care
  • Identify the requirements and constraints for the successful use of the Digital Patient in patient empowered care
  • Propose future areas for targeted research, including VPH research, and for industry investment in order to advance the capability of digital patient representations and functionality
  • Form a European community of interest to help steer future work on the Digital Patient
  • Produce Reports and Recommendations

Work Package 4 – Engagement and Community Building

Design the process and mechanism to ensure the creation of a cohesive community beyond the Digital Patient vision. In particular, this WP will work together with WP1,WP2, WP3 and WP5 to:

  • Develop and implement a community building strategy,
  • Involve key players and key groups in the consensus process in concert with WP2 and WP4,
  • Liaise with other sister initiatives within and outside VPH in concert with WP1,
  • Ensure a coherent policy on the Digital Patient agenda for the different groups involved (scientists and technology developers, policy makers, industrial partners, clinicians, etc.),
  • Identify mechanisms for policy and governance during and after the duration of the project,
  • Design, in concert with the coordination, the consultation processes to be followed,
  • Work jointly with WP1 in the logistics of events,
  • Participate in the production of the Roadmap.

Work Package 5 – Dissemination

Design the process, mechanisms and delivery means of a coherent dissemination strategy for the Digital Patient vision. In particular, this WP will work together with WP1,WP2, WP3, WP4 and WP6 to:

  • Develop and implement a dissemination strategy,
  • Produce high quality material for dissemination,
  • Work jointly with WP1 and WP4 in the logistics of events,
  • Participate in the production of the Roadmap.

Work Package 6 – The Digital Patient Roadmap

WP6 will produce the Digital Patient Roadmap, based on both the discourse within the consortium and the consultation process with key stakeholders. It will thereby integrate results from earlier WPs, including identified priority research needs as well as short-, mid- and long-term efforts needed to realise the milestones identified. WP6 will work mainly with WP2, WP3 and WP4 in order to pursue these objectives:

  • Draft an initial, light-weight roadmap for further discussions
  • Integrate expert and partner recommendations in the areas of simulation & modelling, visualization, EHR integration, knowledge integration, physiology/pathology knowledge discovery as well as semantic interoperability, trust & quality.
  • Validate S&T scenarios in the respective clinical application contexts
  • Draft the final roadmap, including recommendations for further research actions at European and global level. Methodologically, the analytical frameworks developed in WPs 2 and 4 will guide this work, allowing us to structure the topical fields to be covered in a consistent manner along the time line identified. The various meetings and conferences planned support this work and facilitate validation of outcomes and priorities with key players and stakeholders.