Integration of cloud based eCare services: a multidisciplinary challenge

Due to changes in the demographic situation of most Western European countries, interest in ICT supported care services grows fast. eCare services are believed to be cost-effective and could lead to an increased quality of life of both care receiver and (in)formal care giver. Currently adoption and integration of these services is slowed down by several barriers such as an unclear added value, a lack of regulations or a sustainable financial model. In order to understand the interactions between political, market related and technological forces, as sources of these barriers, collaboration between all actors involved in eCare service development (user and technological research groups, care organizations, technological partners, techno-economic research groups, etc.) is needed. In this paper various tools and methodologies, applied in the iMinds OCareClouds project, are discussed that foster collaboration and allow identification and understanding of the different forces.