META - Hungarian Personal Health Planning Application
About this good practice
META was a part of a wider development programme for improving organizational efficiency in healthcare system and establishing territorial cooperation. It was co-financed by EU Structural Funds through Social Renewal Operational Programme. META was developed in 2013-2015 by the public body (ÁEEK) responsible for operating national e-health system.
In the frames of this project ÁEEK developed unified personal health planning approach and methodology. The most important tool of the implementation was META, the Hungarian Health Planning mobile health Application. It focuses on preventive thinking, one of the most effective means to combat illnesses. Health conscious behaviour, conscious health care can help health promotion and disease prevention, improve quality of life, and increase the number of Healthy Life Years. Preparing individual health plan (IHP) is the first step in this process. The aim was to satisfy individuals’ need to improve and maintain their health by developing a more conscious approach to health and behaviour. The idea met the needs of policy makers’ to assist the shift from inpatient care to outpatient and home care, as well as creating new functions for improving organizational efficiency in healthcare too.
In 2016-2017 additional granting was approved by the Norway Grants for improving the Mental Health Module of META: Methodological, structural and capacity enhancement to support interventions aiming to promote the mental health of the population.
Resources needed
A project manager and an assistant. Plus in part-time/subcontracting basis 5-10 experts for development, and financial, legal communication and controlling activities. Total budget of the hosting programme was app. EUR 30M. Sub-budget for META: EUR 51K external expertise and EUR 100K staff cost.
Evidence of success
Physicians, programmers, graphic artists, health managers, IT specialists and patients were involved in the development to take medical, communication and information technology aspects into consideration in every development phase and create an ergonomic, user-friendly and useful application that met medical and mobile communication criteria. The programme managed to engage more than 25000 registered users till the end of 2015. (Feedback from patients: 82% were supportive).
Potential for learning or transfer
Good Practice of government initiative leading innovation in public health, prevention and patient adherence/empowerment by combining developments of methodology and IT solutions/applications. Cooperation among stakeholders was also well prepared and managed. Key stakeholders were involved in the development. Research was involved in preparation of the methodology and delivering evidence based questionnaires. Patient and care providers took part in specification and testing phases of the APP.
The application and the equivalent portal (providing access to equal opportunities) provides new possibility for the making and maintaining or improving connection and cooperation among patients, other clients and individual or organizational healthcare providers.
META together with the national e-health system offer new market opportunities to vendors of innovative ICT solutions and smart devices and services, e.g. those interested in innovation and delivery of home care products and solutions.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
National Healthcare Service Center (ÁEEK)