After careful preparations, TeNDER is ready for 2021 and the first wave of pilots. During the pre-piloting phase, consortium partners laid out the legal and ethical framework of the project, defined the technical architecture of the services TeNDER will provide, consolidated the system for gathering data and analysing results, and consulted future users, among other things.
In addition, we developed use case scenarios, stories that reflect real-life situations and help us conceptualise how users will interact with our tools. To complement this exercise – and despite the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic posed – we safely reached patients, carers, and professionals to reflect on the technology and TeNDER tools.
TeNDER partners in Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain conducted nearly 200 surveys and 61 interviews with patients, caregivers, and medical and social professionals. The results gave us invaluable insight into the ways the TeNDER system will be used on the ground:
“I would like to have more autonomy. And that when I communicate with people, they understand
all that I want to say.” (patient with Parkinson’s Disease)
“Some days, when I returned from work, I found her on the floor and she couldn’t explain what had happened. It would be very useful to know what happens [while I’m gone] and to be alerted if she has fallen.”
(caregiver of a patient with dementia)
“It would be nice if you could also encourage patients to exercise regularly, and monitor their vital signs, too. As a physician, I would benefit from reading the reports before seeing the patient.” (neurologist)
The importance of the pre-piloting phase
During this preparation phase, we not only identified what patients, caregivers, and other participants need, but we also worked with TeNDER’s technical partners to ensure their input is integrated into the system design. Furthermore, we translated complex procedures into less technical terms.
Careful preparation helps projects like TeNDER stick to timelines, reduce failure rates, and above all, achieve societal impact for the benefit of patients and those who surround them.
What comes next?
TeNDER pilots will take place in three waves all the way through to end of 2022. Results, publications, updates, and analyses will be made available on our website and other platforms throughout the duration of the project.
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