Project Summary
The PROCON project will foster innovation in nursing homes (NHs), specifically in the promotion of continence, through cooperation and flow of knowledge among 5 labour market actors, 4 higher education institutions (HEIs), 2 vocational education and training (VET) providers, 1 non-governmental organization and 1 affiliated research institution. It will also include research on continence in older people living in NHs (especially in work package-WP2 and 4). PROCON will promote training in continence care, and in entrepreneurship and innovation in NHs (WP2 and 3), enhancing new skills and addressing skills mismatches by cocreating open courses for professionals, higher education institutions (HE) and vocational education and training (VET). The project will also boost digital competences/skills, new technologies, entrepreneurship, social and labor market innovation, green and resilience skills, sustainable development, and a social inclusion perspective to increase health equity. Virtual communities of practices (VCoPs) will be used to enhance knowledge exchange, learning and networking. PROCON will support the development of a sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mind sets through the exchange of knowledge between the academic and non-academic sector (technological and social-health care institutions). PROCON will target the following societal and economic challenges: changing demographics (ageing), digitalisation, climate change (e.g., decrease of waste of absorbent products), the emergence of new technologies (for continence) and rapid employment changes through social innovation and community resilience, as well as labour market innovation.
Project Aims
The key aims of the project are:
1. Enhance Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Nursing Homes:
– Develop a framework of recommendations to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in NHs based on the EntreComp framework.
– Create a new technological solution to enhance continence care in NHs.
– Design a multidisciplinary co-created course on innovation and entrepreneurship in healthcare.
2. Develop Skills and Address Skill Mismatches:
– Co-create two educational courses for healthcare professionals and students: 1. One focused on resilience skills and flexible work practices.
Another on continence care in NHs.
3. Implement and Evaluate New Educational Approaches:
– Conduct a multinational pragmatic study in Spain, Finland, Canada, and Belgium to pilot the PROCON educational programme in NHs.
4. Ensure Quality Assurance and Project Evaluation:
– Implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess project outcomes and impact.
5. Maximize Socioeconomic and Academic Impact:
– Improve continence care practices in NHs, benefiting staff, residents, and their families.
– Strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs), vocational education and training (VET) providers, long-term care facilities, technology companies, and non-governmental organizations.
6. Promote Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation of Results:
– Engage more than 10,000 people through virtual communities of practice.
– Develop a toolkit for continence care for NH residents and relatives.
– Provide policy recommendations to improve continence care in NHs.
7. Support Sustainable Development and Green Skills:
– Reduce waste from absorbent products by promoting better continence management strategies.
– Incorporate sustainable development and green skills into training courses.
Project Methods
The PROCON project employs a variety of methods to achieve its objectives, ensuring a multidisciplinary, evidence-based, and innovative approach.
The key methods used in the project include:
- Co-Creation and Participatory Approach – Collaboration between researchers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, NH staff, and residents. – Stakeholder engagement in the development of training courses, frameworks, and technological solutions. – Inclusion of diverse perspectives to ensure practical and applicable outcomes.
- Development of Educational and Training Materials
– Co-creation of two online courses:
- Resilience skills and flexible work practices for healthcare professionals.
- Continence care training for NH staff and students.
– Use of digital learning platforms to enhance accessibility.
– Incorporation of digital competences, innovation, and entrepreneurship principles.
- Technological Innovation and Pilot Testing
– Development of a new technological solution to improve continence care in NHs.
– Integration of smart technologies (e.g., sensors for monitoring continence needs).
– Testing of the technology through a multinational pragmatic study in Spain, Finland, Canada, and Belgium.
- Multinational Pragmatic Study (Field Testing and Validation)
– Conducting real-world pilots in NHs to test the effectiveness of the educational programme and technological solutions.
– Gathering quantitative and qualitative data to assess outcomes.
– Involving healthcare professionals, students, and NH residents in the evaluation process.
- Policy Development and Best Practice Frameworks
– Creation of a framework of recommendations to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in NHs.
– Development of policy recommendations for continence care improvement in NHs.
– Engaging with policymakers and institutional stakeholders.
- Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination
– Establishing Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) to facilitate ongoing learning and collaboration. – Hosting workshops, webinars, and conferences to share project findings. – Publishing results in academic and industry journals, reports, and policy briefs.
- Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Quality Assurance
– Implementation of quality control mechanisms to ensure project success.
– Use of feedback loops from participants to refine project outputs.
– Measuring impact based on predefined indicators and success metrics. These methods collectively ensure that PROCON fosters innovation, enhances skills, and improves continence care practices in nursing homes while promoting sustainable and inclusive solutions.
Project Findings / expected Findings
The PROCON project is expected to generate significant findings in several key areas, including innovation in continence care, healthcare education, and technological advancements in nursing homes.
Anticipated outcomes and findings:
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Nursing Homes
– Identification of barriers and facilitators to innovation and entrepreneurship in NHs.
– Development of a framework of recommendations to enhance innovation in continence care, aligned with the EntreComp framework.
– Increased adoption of new technologies to improve continence care and overall healthcare delivery in NHs.
- Impact of Technological Solutions on Continence Care
– Effectiveness of a new technological solution (e.g., smart monitoring systems, wearable sensors) in improving continence management.
– Reduction in the use of absorbent products, leading to lower costs and environmental impact.
– Enhanced continence monitoring and personalized care, improving the quality of life for NH residents.
- Effectiveness of Educational and Training Programs
– Improved continence care knowledge and skills among healthcare professionals and students.
– Increased resilience and flexibility in NH staff, leading to better workplace well-being.
– Enhanced digital literacy and technological skills among NH staff and healthcare students.
- Multinational Pilot Study Results
– Cross-country comparison of continence care practices in Spain, Finland, Canada, and Belgium.
– Evaluation of the impact of training and technology adoption in real-world NH settings.
– Identification of best practices that can be scaled across different NH systems.
- Policy and Societal Impact
– Development of policy recommendations for continence care in NHs.
– Strengthened collaboration between academia, healthcare, and technology sectors to improve NH care.
– Increased awareness and reduction of stigma surrounding urinary incontinence (UI) in NH residents. 6. Environmental and Economic Impact – Reduction in healthcare costs associated with poor continence management.
– Sustainable practices through decreased waste from absorbent products.
– Long-term cost savingsfor NHs due to improved continence management strategies.
Outputs
The PROCON project is expected to produce a variety of outputs, including scientific publications, training materials, technological developments, and policy recommendations. The key deliverables and outputs:
- Scientific Publications At least five scientific papers will be published in open-access journals during the project, covering:
– The PROCON study protocol
– The technological solution for continence care in NHs
– Quantitative results of the multinational pragmatic study
– Qualitative results of the study
– Process evaluation of the study
- Dissemination Articles At least five articles will be published in public media covering topics such as:
– Innovation in NHs.
– Improving continence care in NHs (linked to PROCON training and toolkit).
– Technologies for continence care in NHs.
- Educational and Training Materials
– Course on innovation and entrepreneurship in healthcare
– Course on resilience skills and flexible work practices
– Course on continence care in NHs
– Toolkit for continence care for NH residents and relatives
- Technological Solutions – Development of a new multi-sensor technology for continence care
– A dataset from the data acquisition campaign in NHs
– A prototype of a smart continence care system
- Policy and Best Practice Frameworks
– Framework for innovation and entrepreneurship in NHs
– Policy recommendations for continence care in NHs. These outputs will support improvements in NH management and continence care policies.
- Communication and Dissemination Tools
Digital brochures and newsletters (targeting 1,000+ recipients).
– Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) to engage healthcare professionals and students.
– Project website and social media campaigns (targeting 3,000+ visitors).
-Press releases and media outreach to increase public awareness.