How digital care really adds value
Many care processes have developed out of habit. We provide healthcare in a certain way because that’s how it’s always been done. At the ICT & Health Congress, Thomas Timmers, co-founder of the Patient Journey App, and Fleur Maagdenberg, Business Development at Enovation, discussed how the digitalisation of healthcare can help break these habits. The solution is not to simply add more technology, but to organise healthcare in a smarter, more humane and more appropriate way.
But what exactly is appropriate digital care? Thomas describes it as ‘care that adds value rather than blindly following tradition’. In a sector that is under pressure from staff shortages and growing demand, this form of digital care is essential.
Behavioural change
According to Thomas, a change in behaviour is necessary to deliver healthcare that adds value. For example, by no longer seeing every patient in person, but only when necessary. At the same time, appropriate digital care requires patients to take greater ownership of their care, for example by actively preparing for appointments, sharing information and contributing to the care process.
From separate apps to coherence
Many healthcare users lose sight of the bigger picture due to fragmentation across the care pathway. Multiple portals, separate apps, emails and questionnaires can create confusion for patients, clients and others involved in the healthcare process. Enovation’s Patient Portal and Patient Journey demonstrate that there are different ways to go about this. Together, they provide a clear overview of both generic information and information specific to the care pathway. General information (such as appointments and access to records) flows seamlessly into specific steps tailored to the individual’s situation.
Smart digital triage
An example of how digital care can add value to the healthcare process is clearly visible in preoperative screening at Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis (Jeroen Bosch Hospital). The aim of preoperative screening is to assess as many patients as possible digitally in advance. This helps prevent unnecessary hospital visits. Smart digital triage allows healthcare providers to determine beforehand who needs a physical screening and for whom telephone or digital screening is sufficient. Research shows that up to 70% of patients can be safely screened remotely. This saves time, reduces unnecessary appointments and ensures patients are better prepared.
Going into surgery fitter
Another example can be found in the prehabilitation programme of the Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep (Northwest Hospital Group). They support colon cancer patients to go into surgery fitter. This pathway is centred on thorough preparation. Instead of expensive and difficult-to-scale processes in the hospital, patients can train at home via the app. With personal guidance, reminders and messages from their own healthcare providers, this form of digital care is not only effective but also cost-efficient. On average, costs per patient are approximately €1,000 lower, while the care outcomes remain largely the same. A next step in this process is to use the patient portal together with the Patient Journey App to guide patients step by step.
Remote healthcare for COPD
A second example of how digital care can add value is in COPD care, which is part of the Digitaal Gezondheidscentrum (DGC – Digital Health Centre). For COPD patients, healthcare does not stop after treatment; there is an ongoing care process that spans physical and social well-being. Digital care pathways enable remote monitoring through questionnaires, coaching and lifestyle support. For example, care at DGC is no longer provided simply ‘because it is scheduled’, but when the data and the patient themselves indicate that it is necessary.
Through regional collaborations with hospitals, GPs, home care organisations (VVT) and the social domain, the DGC creates cross-chain care pathways in which information continuously ‘travels’ with the patient. The results are promising: 893 fewer repeat visits in 2024 compared to 2019, without compromising patient health.
Real added value in healthcare
By combining healthcare applications in a single dashboard, digital care becomes both workable and valuable for healthcare professionals. After all, appropriate digital care is not about adding yet another healthcare app, but about coherence, behavioural change and technology that feels like a natural extension of care. Only then does digitalisation in healthcare truly add value.