Limiting healthcare expenditure is necessary due to demographics and a shortage of skilled labour. Together with other Fraunhofer Institutes, Fraunhofer IGD has therefore developed the digital twin. It helps doctors to define the best possible, most cost-effective treatment.
Users can access AI-based analyses, for example of medical publications, in the digital patient model and view the guidelines for treatment as well as the costs incurred for the treatment options. In the cohort module, individual patient information is related to data from similar disease courses - enabling treatment providers to identify which therapies work best in which cases. All information is presented in a concise dashboard.
An online survey of almost 50 gastroenterologists, who tested the web-based system in hospitals and practices in advance, shows that the patient model meets its objectives: The patient model meets the goals set. While 23 percent praise the cost savings, 35 percent of those surveyed emphasize the shortened treatment time thanks to the model. So far, the system has been used as a prototype for chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); in the future, the digital patient model will also be used for other diseases in all medical fields.