Predictive Medicine for Complex Chronic Patients : Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as use case

The epidemics of non-communicable diseases and the need for cost-containment are triggering a profound reshaping of healthcare delivery toward adoption of the Chronic Care model, involving deployment of integrated care services with the support of information and communication technologies. In this scenario, emerging systems medicine, with a holistic mechanism-based approach to diseases, may play a relevant role in health risk assessment and patient stratification. The general aim of this book is to explore the potential of a systems medicine approach to improve knowledge on underlying mechanisms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) heterogeneity, focusing on systemic effects of the disease and co-morbidity clustering. The transfer of acquired knowledge to healthcare is also a core aim of the book. Moreover, the book explores novel cross talks between biomedical research and healthcare to foster deployment of 4P (Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory) Medicine for patients with chronic disorders.