smartCARE

The App Empowering Cancer Survivors in Europe

smartCARE is a flagship initiative in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, under the EU4Health Programme 2021-2027. The project is developing a cancer survivor smart card - in the form of a mobile app - to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors throughout Europe.

The smartCARE Consortium will begin by identifying the needs of cancer survivors and support the app developer, the Bilbomatica Consortium, in building the prototype and bringing the vision to reality.

ECO is leading the project's coordination and the user-needs assessment, while also supporting the development of the prototype, communication and dissemination, and project evaluation.

Impact

Working alongside an app developer consortium, smartCARE will ensure the app devlivers on three core attributes:

Consideration of patient needs, perspectives, and individual experiences
Provision of opportunities for patients to participate in their care ("self-management")
Enhancement of the patient-clinician-nursing relationship

smartCARE is a united effort to help countries in Europe meet the challenge of cancer survivorship and provide tangible support to former patients moving on with their lives.

In the news...

Patient-led workshops

ECO, together with the smartCARE Consortium and in collaboration with our Patient Advisory Committee, organised four patient-led workshops between June and July 2023, as part of the project’s extensive user-needs assessment. In an effort to ensure that the app is tailored to users, rather than a one-size-fits-all, separate workshops were held on paediatric, adult and young adolescent with participants from all over Europe.

These workshops will help in the development of a smart card, and will also inform follow-up surveys. Click here to learn more.

Please contact Jack Latteur if you are a cancer survivor or know any cancer survivors, interested in participating in our patient survey later on this year.

The first issue of the smartCARE newsletter is now out! Click here to read it.

Introducing the smartCARE Steering Committee and Advisory Board, a wide range of experts providing guidance and direction for the project. Click on the picture below to read more.

smartCARE kick-off meeting

The project held its official kick-off event on 28-29 March in Brussels with Steering Committee Co-Chairs, ECO President-Elect Csaba Dégi, and EU Cancer Mission Board Member Penilla Gunther.

The launch also included a session at the European Parliament hosted by MEP István Ujhelyi, a member of our National & European Parliamentarians for Cancer Action group, and co-chaired by Penilla Gunther and Csaba Dégi. You can read more about the event here.