Design for Digital Ecosystems and Telemedicine Services to Improve the Quality of Care Pathways for Frail Older Adults

Global population aging is one of the most critical factors in the coming decades (Eurostat, 2019). In Italy, the average age of residents, which was 32 in 1952, increased to 46.2 years at the beginning of 2022 (Istat, 2022). The overall effects of aging on the health and welfare system are considerable. Indeed, with ageing is associated with an increase in chronic pathological conditions, co-morbidities, or the inability to perform basic daily activities independently, and this leads to an increase in the care and assistance needs of the elderly. A distinctive factor of the new generation of elders is their approach to technologies, a factor that can greatly expand the pos- sibilities of access to care and assistance, communication and information services (Istat, 2019). To provide, as far as possible, the continuity of care and assistance people need, telemedicine services can ensure safe and efficient care pathways while main- taining a strong patient-physician relationship. This article presents the first results of the research conducted by the Laboratory of Ergonomics and Design (LED) of the Uni- versity of Florence as part of Spoke 3 of the project “THE - Tuscany Health Ecosystem” of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), funded by the Italian government with Next Generation EU funds - Mission 4 (Education and Research) - Component 2 “From Research to Enterprise”. The project involves the participation of 22 partners including universities, research centers and companies in the Tuscany Region, orga- nized in 10 Spokes. The goal is to develop guidelines for the design of interfaces and products for telemedicine services in digital diagnosis and therapy for neurode- generative diseases. This article will discuss the research questions, applied research methodology, results and future developments.