Connected Care

Abstract

Digitalisation is something most people have encountered in the last 20 years. People have gotten used to most of their life being digital, using phones every day, and working on computers. However, the healthcare system is falling behind in the field of digitalisation. The system does not work efficiently enough to facilitate the provision of care, hindering it instead. Patient - care provider interaction during transmural healthcare journeys can be improved to place the person once more at the centre of their own health care journey.

This project aims to create a strategy for the digital transition of patient – health care provider interaction during transmural health journeys. This is done by first completing a literature review and context analysis of the current system, followed by observations and interviews. The insights from this research were then summarised in a synthesis map, which highlights the interconnecting relations within the complex socio-technical system. Three system levels were analysed, splitting the system into macro, meso and micro influences. Macro influences come from legislation, meso influences from organisational strategy, and micro influences come from person-specific interactions.

The synthesis map identified six leverage points that can be used to improve the barriers for digitalisation at the Reinier de Graaf hospital:

1. Improve system interoperability
2. Improve system connections
3. Streamline the number of systems used in healthcare
4. Take ownership/ responsibility surrounding digitalisation at the RdGG
5. Make more space in the budget to spend time facilitating the digital interaction transition
6. Improve digital literacy

Using these points the following future vision was set up:

In the future, the RdGG simplifies patient - care provider interaction by using a shared data space for care plans, allowing patients to play an equitable part in their health journey.

Finally, a strategy was made for the digital transition of patient – care provider interaction at the hospital, visualised in a strategic roadmap and a tactical roadmap. The three main pillars of the future vision – patient clarity, time for care, and shared administrative burden – form the basis for the envisioned future of healthcare in the Netherlands.

To finalise the applicability of the digital transition strategy, it was tested with various involved stakeholders, including a director of the hospital, ICT staff, and care professionals. The thesis concludes with implementation recommendations, limitations and possibilities for future research.