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The CATCH project is exploring connected health – a health management model underpinned by technology to link up patients and doctors, in particular to deliver services remotely – as a weapon in the fight against cancer.
More specifically, it is focusing on ways of using technology to boost patients’ functional capacity and quality of life. Innovation in this area could notably benefit people undergoing long-term treatment for cancers that are unlikely to go into remission, but in whom the progression of the disease can be halted or significantly delayed.
As a result of medical advances in recent decades, survival rates have also improved for various forms of cancer that cannot be cured, with some now perceived as chronic conditions rather than fatal illnesses.
Activity in the project ranges from studies of patients’ needs and perceptions to research into the commercialisation of e-health products, via work on aspects as varied as fostering mental wellbeing and adherence to physical exercise regimens, the development of gamification strategies, and the potential of neuromuscular electrical stimulation.
In total, eight early-stage researchers are conducting work on individual topics, supported by a project consortium that involves eleven partners in six countries. Funding for this training network led by University College Dublin is provided by the EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions ITN programme.