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Saarland University and Saarland University Hospital are collaborating with numerous partners to pilot the new system – the only one of its kind in Europe. The Joint Federal Committee is funding the project with over eight million euros.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
The truck is almost ten metres long, 2.60 metres wide, a full 3.70 metres high and weighs twelve tonnes. Inside, it contains everything you would find in a clinical A&E department: a CT scanner, sonography, X-ray and ultrasound equipment, EEG and ECG machines, and laboratory equipment. Smart data glasses and a host of other technology provide digital support and enable communication with specialist doctors connected remotely. This pilot project from the Saarland brings modern medical technology to people for whom visiting a hospital is a challenge due to age or illness. At the same time, it takes the pressure off A&E departments, diagnostic centres and care teams. The aim is to reduce hospital admissions for diagnostic purposes only, ensure outpatient medical and nursing care in familiar surroundings, and sustainably reduce the financial burden on health and long-term care insurance funds.
Before the active pilot phase begins in Saarland in September, and the diagnostic van begins serving around 4,000 care home residents across some 50 care homes, it will be stopping off at the Capital Congress on Medicine and Health in Berlin from 23 to 25 June: At the invitation of the University Board and management of the congress organisers , the consortium will present the concept of the ‘Mobile Geriatrics Unit’. All the companies and experts involved in the development and expansion of the model will be showcasing their work at the ‘DIKOM Innovation CAMPUS’ set up around the truck. Industry professionals and trade fair visitors will be able to take guided tours of the vehicle. Numerous events, such as expert discussions, will take place in the exhibition forum.
The “Diagnostic Consultation in Care Homes Using a Geriatric Unit – DIKOM” project was initiated by Professor Klaus Faßbender, the long-standing Director of Neurology at Saarland University Hospital. Together with medical technology companies from the Saarland and across Germany, he developed a concept for the model vehicle. Twelve consortium partners and 33 cooperating partners brought it to fruition – a specialist vehicle manufacturer in Homburg built the truck.
Inside the model lorry itself, specialists in various fields work alongside medical technologists specialising in radiology and paramedics. When evaluating their examinations, specialists from cooperating hospitals and practices are consulted live as required. “This combination of mobile diagnostics and telemedical expertise, contractually linked to GPs and inpatient care facilities, establishes a novel form of care that closes a major gap in geriatric care,” says Professor Klaus Faßbender.
To ensure the diagnostic equipment on board the medical truck can be operated safely and reliably, and to securely connect specialists both inside and outside the vehicle, existing medical software solutions have been adapted and new interfaces and communication channels developed. A particular challenge was the power supply: to ensure that all devices can run simultaneously with the digital networking and telemedical communication, a high-performance battery system was developed specifically for this purpose. The batteries are charged overnight and keep everything operational throughout the day.
The ‘Mobile Geriatrics Unit’ utilises encrypted data transmission systems that enable findings to be transmitted securely and quickly. A virtual cockpit supports CT diagnostics: the radiologists’ findings at the ‘ ’ Diagnostic Centre are transmitted via telemedicine. Two X-ray machines can be operated safely in a very confined space.
From September, ‘Diagnostics on Wheels’ will go on tour in the Saarland model region as part of an innovation fund model by the Joint Federal Committee, which has so far received more than eight million euros in funding. The operations will be assessed through an Evaluation that examines both health economics and care processes.
The ‘Diagnostic Consultation in Care Homes via a Geriatric Unit – DIKOM’ project
The Joint Federal Committee, the highest self-governing body in the German healthcare system, is funding the pilot project. It is supported by the Saarland Nursing Association, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, all health and nursing care insurance funds operating in Saarland, the Saarland-based diagnostics experts at Xcare, the Caritas Clinic in Lebach, and various institutes at Saarland University Hospital. The project is led by Saarland University. The care process is being scientifically monitored by the Saarbrücken Institute for Social Research and Social Economy (ISO) and the Berlin Institute for Applied Healthcare Research (inav).
Further information: https://www.medizin-daheim.de
Exhibition Forum | DIKOM | Stand No. 61
Capital City Congress from 23 to 25 June 2026 at hub27, Messe Berlin
For enquiries and to arrange contacts: Armin Lang, Lang Consult GmbH, Saarbrücken, Communications Officer for the DIKOM model: Tel.: 0171 5202676, Email: mail(at)langcon.de Press photos available for download: Press photos can be found on this news website: https://www.uni-saarland.de/aktuell/dikom-berlin-48755.html
You may use the press photos free of charge in connection with this press release and reporting on Saarland University, provided you credit the photographer.
