AGnES-Soft - Data management solution AGnES-Tech - communication solution
(IT- partial projects of the project AGnES - doctor-relieving, community near, e-health-supported, systemical intervention)

In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern there are more and more old people and at the same time one thirds of the current acting family doctors will retire until 2010. In the rural regions it is difficult to reoccupy the medical offices with young doctors. Thus far it could be possible, that there will be a bottleneck in the medical supply in future.

picture 1 structure of ages of family doctors in selected areas; Source: KV M-V 2003;Graphic: Institut für Community Medicine, Universität Greifswald

AGnES is a project with the institute for Community Medicine of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald responsible, where doctors, nurses, patients and scientists work together intensively with the target to introduce new methods for the family doctor supply in rural regions. In the project AGnES the family doctor will be supported by a special trained nurse who is connected to the family doctor via modern communication technique. The nurse takes over the domiciliary in delegation of the doctor. The prevention, consultation, care and therapy is situated in the foreground. The main subject of the nurse is the monitoring of the physical condition of the patients in their environment. In case of suitable patients there are telecare-machines such as heart-rhythm-cards, blood pressure and blood sugar gauges and electronic scales. Further subjects are e.g. medicine control, fall prevention In the private environment.

picture 2 First communication with the doctor via Webcam and WLAN/WiMAX; Picture: Thomas Fiß

The IT Science Centre develops in this project at the side of computer science communications- and data management solution Therefore there were Client Server Connections designed between the doctors, the car of the nurse as well as the patients via WiMax /WLAN technology. The nurse is able to build a point-to-point communication from the patient to the doctor which is independent from the location. This connection could also be used for data transmission of the patients data e.g. blood pressure which was recorded at the face. The tele-care instruments could be installed at the patients' house and furthermore could be connected to the communication platform. A distributed and mobile information system was developed which records, edits and accessibles the data. The multimedia data, video and audio, are handled in real time. The data management is also affordable to coordinate, to optimize and to deduct the subjects of the nurse. Therefore a GPS supported system is in action.