Empowering informal carers in their daily usage of digital healthcare services

The rapid advancement of digital transformation in healthcare, driven by technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML), presented an immense potential to enhance the quality and reliability of care, particularly for older adults. However, this progress introduced critical challenges: ensuring health equity and social inclusion in a digitally driven landscape. Access to technology alone is insufficient; users, especially informal caregivers, required specific digital skills to fully leverage these opportunities. Given the pivotal role of these caregivers, often termed the 'invisible front-line care,' and their substantial economic contribution to long-term care, the DIGITALIS project was conceived to directly address this gap. Recognizing the essential yet often overlooked contribution of female informal caregivers (FICs), this project aims to cover this need and to empower them with the necessary digital skills to navigate and utilize these technologies effectively, thereby mitigating the risks of exclusion and ensuring equitable access to improved healthcare outcomes.

DIGITALIS project aimed to fundamentally transform the landscape of informal care by empowering FICs with the critical digital skills and knowledge necessary to harness the full potential of digital healthcare services and technologies. By equipping FICs with these tools, we sought to significantly enhance their professional capabilities and, more importantly, elevate the quality of life and safety of their care recipients. To achieve this transformative goal, DIGITALIS focused on 4specific objectives (SO): SO1, to develop and implement a tailored training program in Greece and Hungary, specifically designed to bolster the digital employability skills of FICs. SO2, to map and validate the national digital healthcare ecosystems in these pilot countries, ensuring that the development of digital skills aligns directly with the identified needs of FICs. SO3, to create and rigorously test innovative e-learning modules, grounded in social innovation and human-centered design, to optimize the learning experience for FICs. SO4, to synthesize the project’s outcomes, including best practices, caregiver narratives, and policy recommendations, into a comprehensive guide, facilitating widespread dissemination and replication across Europe.

DIGITALIS project strategically addressed the critical challenges of training and recognizing informal carers' status across Europe. Through the implementation of two Pilot Sites in Greece and Hungary, the project developed and tested innovative methods and content, laying the groundwork for widespread adoption. To ensure scalability and replicability, a comprehensive scale-up and replication guide were created, facilitating the transposition of these advancements across the European landscape. DIGITALIS leverages the complementary expertise of five partners from three Programme Countries (Greece, Hungary, and Italy), representing both public and private sectors: from Italy, Fondazione Democenter - Sipe (leader) and Doxee; from Greece, Epioni and Prolepsis; from Hungary, Prompt. Over its 36-month duration, the DIGITALIS project strategically executed a series of interconnected activities to achieve its core objectives, culminating in four key Project Results (PRs). The project employed a phased methodology, beginning with a comprehensive digital needs assessment of female informal caregivers (FICs) to map digital healthcare services and skills (PR1). This foundational step, led by DCS, involved developing a tailored assessment scheme, conducting FIC surveys, and inventorying digital healthcare resources in Greece and Hungary. Building upon this, PROLEPSIS spearheaded the development of customized digital training modules (PR2), utilizing a co-creation approach to ensure relevance and effectiveness. These modules were then integrated into an innovative e-learning platform, developed and refined by PROMPT (PR3), which facilitated rigorous testing and assessment by both mentors and FICs. DOXEE contributed by producing engaging interactive videos to support the training scenarios. Finally, DCS synthesized the project's outcomes into a Replication Guide (PR4), designed to disseminate best practices and policy recommendations across Europe, targeting similar organizations and influencing adult education programs. Each phase was meticulously planned to ensure a coherent progression, with each PR building upon the previous, thereby maximizing the project's impact and fostering a sustainable model for empowering FICs with essential digital skills. Regarding the dissemination activities, the partners actively collaborated with the aim of maximizing communication about the projects, the results achieved, and the multiplier events dedicated to FICs. On the other hand, for project management purposes and with the aim of monitoring the project as closely as possible, a steering committee was established to evaluate both qualitatively and quantitatively the results produced.

The DIGITALIS project strategically delivered a suite of tangible outputs and impactful results designed to empower informal caregivers in the digital age. Through a comprehensive and participatory approach, the project not only produced a Replication Guide to ensure sustainable impact across Europe, but also laid the groundwork with a state-of-the-art analysis of caregiver needs and digital skills in Greece and Hungary. This was further bolstered by an inventory of digital healthcare resources and a digital inclusion assessment scheme, enabling targeted interventions. The core of the project's impact lies in the development of five tailored training modules, accompanied by collaborative lesson plans and delivered through a blended learning methodology via the Moodle VLE. Crucially, co-creation sessions with FICs ensured the relevance and effectiveness of these resources. The project also established a robust assessment methodology to measure training impact and finalized a multilingual, mobile-optimized online training course. Beyond training, DIGITALIS delivered a capitalization plan for wider replication and actionable policy recommendations to support caregivers across Europe. The project's findings, including comparative insights into caregiver situations and practical tips from pilot projects, provide a valuable resource for future initiatives, ensuring that the DIGITALIS legacy extends beyond its initial scope