MENSSANA

MENSSANA Mobile Expert and Networking System for Systematical Analysis of Nutrition-based Allergies

Project Description
The management of food allergies consists in educating the patient to avoid ingesting the responsible allergen. Patients are required to identify individual allergens in the daily food. Unfortunately, while purchasing their food, people are left alone with ingredient descriptions that are difficult to read and understand. Ingredient lists are printed on the food packages but food producers are not forced by European legislation to provide this information to any governmental institution for consumer protection.
Patients food diaries are important to identify individual food related allergens.  However, several studies have shown that significant amounts of the data in patients diaries is fudged or fabricated.
The project will analyse, how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can support patients and health professionals in daily life settings.

The MENSSANA project has several main objectives:
(1) Develop a barcode reading Personal Allergy Assistant (PAA), which helps to distinguish permitted and prohibited food.
(2) Definition of a standardised Electronic Patient Record for Allergies (EPRA) with coherent patient diaries, acquisition of patient anamnesis, representation of allergy tests.
(3) Provide food based allergy specific information via Internet.
(4) Conducting a controlled clinical study to evaluate health economic effects and quality of life.