WHAT IS THE SPINE-SYNC PROJECT?

A multistakeholder platform for education and communication on scoliosis, professional collaboration, and health literacy.

SPINE-SYNC is a European project that aims to improve the care of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) through the co-creation and development of an innovative digital platform. This platform is designed to facilitate communication between patients, families, and healthcare professionals, strengthen health literacy, and support clinical decision-making.

The project will also create a roadmap for integrating this platform into European healthcare systems, ensuring its long-term sustainability and scalability.

With a duration of 36 months (June 2025 – May 2028) and funded by the European call Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS), the project includes:

Coordinated by Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, SPINE-SYNC brings together medical centers, universities, and technology companies from four countries: Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Romania.

Objectives

This project seeks to:

  • Improve the quality of life of adolescent patients with scoliosis.
  • Strengthen secondary and tertiary prevention, promoting early detection and avoiding invasive treatments.
  • Provide reliable, adapted, and understandable information to patients and families.
  • Foster coordination between levels of care (primary, specialized, and hospital care).
  • Strengthen healthcare professionals’ skills in communication and the use of digital tools.

Expected outcomes

  • Health policy recommendations to improve the management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
  • Educational and outreach materials for patients, families, and professionals.
  • A digital platform (proof of concept) with high potential for replicability and scalability, reinforcing communication between levels of care and with patients and families.

Team

Lead Researcher: Dr. César Galo Fontecha
Project Manager: Iván Domenech – ivan.domenech@sjd.es
Head of Co-creation Activities: Chiara Serio – chiara.serio@sjd.es

For general questions, please, contact ivan.domenech@sjd.es

The project AC24/00151 has received funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through AES 2024, and co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme within the ERA4Health Partnership and the co-funded partnership Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS), grant number 101095654. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or ISCIII. Neither the European Union nor the funding authority can be held responsible for them.