‘Virtual wards: How to make this a reality soon?’ was the topic of ahti Connect on May 17. Speakers were Elie Rusthoven, Project Leader eHealth & Innovation at Cordaan and Patrick Blanshard, CEO at Sensory Technologies. Patient care is slowly changing because of the many possibilities with technology. Many initiatives and pilots are going on in the Netherlands as well as abroad. Nevertheless, how is a virtual ward going to work and what are the difficulties?

How to cooperate in a virtual ward?
Cordaan wants the right healthcare professional at the right time in the right place. A real virtual ward does not exist in the Netherlands yet. However, there are many initiatives and pilots going on. Cordaan wants to start monitoring the post-treatment phase: the moment when a patient leaves the hospital and goes home. The virtual team will be a mix of employees of both Cordaan and the OLVG hospital, who work together on good care that is connected to the virtual ward. The team works both physically and virtually, within the walls of an institution and the patient’s home. The method of the virtual ward is described in ePatient paths, in which the role and responsibilities of care professionals are clearly expressed per step, given the condition of the patient. These paths guarantee optimal care coordination and commitment of the right professional at the right time.

A question from the audience was what the biggest challenge would be to make this virtual ward a reality. According to Cordaan, the biggest challenge would be to convince the healthcare insurers. OLVG, that also attended the event believes that the biggest challenge would be culture. The specialists need to be confident to work with a patient they have never met from whom they only have the data.

How to reduce readmissions?
Sensory Technologies has developed a new clinical service model, called eShift, that allows patients to stay in the comfort of their place of choice while receiving the medical attention they need. Their application supports professionals of different skills in taking integrated care of patients. Their innovative solution is designed to reduce readmissions and allow early hospital discharge. Depending on the clinical picture of a patient, monitoring differs from 30 to 60 days, sometimes even a few years. A question from the audience was: ‘Is delegation of tasks a problem?’ According to Patrick Blanshard there are a few things that have effect on the delegation of tasks from nurse to the assistant:
• Legislative restrictions
• Transferring tasks
• Transferring responsibility, but not the liability
• Composition of employees
• Trust and culture

Doctors are used to delegate their work more often, while nurses have more trouble with delegating. People have to get used to transparency and liability. More information about eShift can be found in the presentation of Sensory Technologies. If you want to know more, feel free to contact Iveta Benova: Iveta.benova@eshiftcare.com. She will be pleased to answer your questions.

Cordaan
Cordaan provides care and assistance on a small scale in and around various locations, and in the community, at home or ‘just like home’ wherever possible. In its capacity as one of the largest care organizations in Amsterdam, Cordaan aspires to lead the way in developing long-term care in the country’s capital.

Sensory Technologies
Sensory Technologies is a Canadian medical software company with offices in the US, the UK and France and work together with non-profit organizations. They want to transform patient care and wants healthcare to become accessible and usable by all for a positive impact on society.

Transforming healthcare together
Ahti Connect brings the worlds of technology and care closer together. We give thought to how things can be done smarter, or better. Every month with a different theme and different speakers from the scientific and social field.

Save the Date!
The next ahti Connect will be in September after a summer break. However, we will participate in WeMakeThe.City, a five-day international festival on urban challenges. Join us on June 21st and/or June 22nd. Join us!