The UOC creates first social network for child carers
Last semester, Spain’s first social network for carers of children with chronic illnesses was set up. This virtual platform was developed by the PSINET research group at the UOC’s IN3 research group in collaboration with Barcelona's Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, the Catalan government's TicSalut Foundation, and the eSalud Foundation, with support from the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Toronto, Canada.
The network, called APTIC, helps associations, parents and professionals dealing with these illnesses, letting them exchange information, experiences and resources.
Likewise, APTIC is dynamised by faculty from the UOC's Psychology and Education Sciences Department and collaborators from the PSINET group – a group of experts in health psychology in the information and knowledge society. These people offer continuous support and resources to the members of the network so that they can share their experiences and knowledge. Unlike other networks and thanks to the fact that it has been designed to be a web 2.0 application, the users are the real protagonists in this community.