TiChroN: Technologies to improve the quality of life of children with chronic diseases

TiChroN addressed the need to provide comprehensive care for children with chronic diseases, a group whose care depends on coordination among health professionals, family, school environment, and social network. The project offered optimized tools for care and for the early detection of risk situations that might go unnoticed by the people around the patient.

The objectives of the project were:

• Develop and implement an action protocol adapted to the specific health needs of children with chronic diseases.
• Involve the patient's entire environment in that protocol: family, medical, school, and social.
• Facilitate early action in risk situations, avoiding hospital admissions.
• Encourage adherence to treatment and the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits.

The areas around which TiChroN was structured were:

• Comprehensive action protocol: definition of a common framework that coordinated the different stakeholders involved in the child's care.
• Early detection: technological tools to support the early identification of risk situations.
• Treatment adherence: solutions aimed at helping patients stay on their treatment and adopt healthy habits.

CTIC's participation focused on implementing a gamification tool for developing games and activities based on virtual reality, aimed at helping patients follow their treatment and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. CTIC brought to the consortium its research experience in applying technology to the development of customizable and adaptable solutions, for both patients and formal and informal caregivers.

TiChroN received the Commission Choice Award, granted by the European Commission in the Interreg Slam 2023 contest, held as part of the Interreg Annual Event in Santiago de Compostela.