In the last two months, the pilot sites of the ValueCare project have deeply studied the use and the function of the virtual coach as one of the most important toosl of ValueCare digital solution, proposed and developed by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK).
Virtual coach will be the “voice” of the ValueCare app; there, the participants can work on different areas and set up some S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant/realistic, timely) goals. Indeed, it gives some suggestions based on people’s compliance. Less compliant they are, more suggestions the virtual coach gives for reaching the goals in the different areas of intervention. The added value of virtual coach is that it has to be as stimulating as possible and it has to respect each participant’s stage of change which will be reached step by step
In Treviso pilot site, ISRAA, closely with Local Health Authority, is working on developing the virtual coach for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients in order to improve their quality of life and prevent the worsening of their condition.
First of all, the two partners have defined the different areas of intervention such as physical activity, nutrition, awareness, mood, socialization and cognitive stimulation, focusing in particular on the last ones. A group of experts are working through focus groups on defining the possible goals to propose, paying attention to the messages that could encourage the right behaviour to reach the goals. The periodic coach intervention could be activated by sensors, by users or scheduled before and could be triggered by different devices monitoring different vital parameters and/or behaviours. Then, the feedback system on data inserted by the patient will depend on the participant’s compliance and suggestions and awareness explanation will conclude the process of virtual coach. Gamification will be an important factor in the interaction, since it could improve the motivation and the compliance to work on the set goals.
The ValueCare digital platform allows the care managers to personalize the virtual coach thanks to a digital dashboard for each patient and gives, in this way, the opportunity to create a personalized integrated care modifiable along the care pathway.
In the core of the application is the possibility to set up personalised goal setting; in so doing the Value Based approach will be fully matched according to the person-centred approach.
