Success story:
Innovative healthcare solutions
Innovative healthcare solution
The Netherlands
Elderly care
Applications
Oktober realizes a new and innovative healthcare solution with the IQ Messenger platform.
Elderly care organization Oktober, formerly RSZK ZorgProfessionals, has realized a new and innovative care solution thanks to the IQ Messenger platform. Due to the changing care needs of residents and the shift from passive to active alarming, the need for the deployment of a classic and costly nurse call system (NCS) has disappeared.
With the use of smart sensors and wandering detection, the familiar VOS buttons and wall-mounted listening systems have become obsolete. Adjusting care calls in the room is now done by scanning a QR code on a smartphone. This immediately records the nurse's presence in the room.
In October, a search began for a brand-independent platform to which all its existing and new healthcare systems could be connected. The new platform had to be future-proof in terms of both technology and legislation and regulations (medical alerting and privacy).
Maik Berkelmans, IT Architect of Oktober:
“The Netherlands is aging. For healthcare organizations, this means that on the one hand, there will be more elderly people who need care while the complexity of care is also increasing, and on the other hand, there is a shortage of staff. We therefore have to provide more care with the same number of professionals. There is a gap between these two that we can only bridge with care-supporting technology. Oktober realizes this based on a clear vision and a targeted approach: We want to let our professionals organize as many matters as possible themselves, and use technology to limit and facilitate peripheral tasks.”
The situation:
Greenfield location: Leuskenhei
In 2018, Oktober opened its Leuskenhei location, which serves as a greenfield site for home automation applications. The goal regarding home automation applications is to eliminate nurse call systems. Desired work processes were defined based on user stories developed in consultation with the care staff.
The user stories describe what professionals expect from the new care system to support better resident care. An example of a user story regarding alarm escalation is:
As a healthcare professional, I want to receive a notification on my smartphone when a resident gets out of bed. If I cannot answer this, or cannot answer it in time, the notification must immediately transfer to one of my colleagues.
Various user stories have also been drawn up for access control, wandering detection, a two-way audio connection with the resident, and camera surveillance.
From work process to technology
The intended work processes have been translated into supporting technology, whereby the selection of necessary hardware/equipment can now be determined entirely independently of the brand. The healthcare provider subsequently assesses, based on an acceptance test, whether the solution aligns with practice.
Choice of vendor-independent platform: IQ Messenger
Based on the user stories and laws and regulations, it was determined which technology is required to realize them. Berkelmans:
We wanted to move to a standard platform. Think of it as a kind of power strip to which all systems can be connected. We asked ourselves how we could deploy the product organization-wide.
Recommendations:
Advice for other hospitals
Veerhoek explains that there is a particular need for smart sensors with a camera function in elderly care, because the elderly are often very quiet.
In an emergency situation, you often hear hardly any sound. Simply deploying acoustic surveillance falls short in this regard. With smart sensor technology, you can look into the room upon an alarm, assess the situation immediately and without a doubt, and act accordingly.
The deployment of a smart sensor is determined in consultation with care providers, family, and the doctor. Care professionals can switch detections on and off themselves, thereby determining for each resident which notifications are required, for example, when getting out of bed, leaving the room, or visiting the bathroom.
This flexibility at the resident level contributes to the quality and safety of care. Rowan Dodde, Certified Caregiver at the Leuskenhei location, confirms this:
In this way, tailored support is provided to residents, making our colleagues feel heard and appreciated. I really like how the camera footage works. Working with IQ Messenger is very relaxed.
Smart sensors for a better night's sleep
When selecting smart sensors, careful consideration was given to the needs arising from the work process, privacy, and the functionality of the various sensors. The IQ Messenger platform integrates many different and competing sensors, ensuring genuine freedom of choice. The choice fell on smart sensors from Mobotix. Berkelmans: “Mobotix appealed to us. Everything on our wish list has been developed. We are very pleased with the Mobotix sensors. We use functionalities such as speak/listen with the resident, acoustic monitoring, activity detection, in/out of bed detection, and video (night) observation.”
Why us:
Choice IQ Messenger
In 2017, Jaap Veerhoek, Executive Board Advisor at Oktober, found that IQ Messenger offered precisely the opportunity to integrate existing and modern healthcare systems and sensors, with freedom in the choice of equipment and a focus on the work process.
Personal login is important for logging. You can then see exactly who responded to the alert messages. This way, all actions can be traced back to the individual.
Alwin van Deuren, Digizorg Product Owner at Oktober, adds:
I consider it a major advantage that with IQ Messenger, we are not dependent on a hardware supplier. Previously, purchasing proprietary hardware meant that, due to vendor lock-in, you could only buy that specific brand.
With IQ Messenger, I can connect to any brand of hardware, so we have complete freedom of choice. This also results in cost savings. The purchase and installation of simple buttons is incredibly expensive. We have now opted for a much cheaper solution that we can also install ourselves.
Enable 'Busy' mode with a QR code
The occupancy mode cannot be easily set on the device due to the gloves worn by the caregiver. Therefore, the 'occupied' mode activates automatically when the QR code at the room is scanned. The smart sensor is then set to 'privacy' mode. For the time being, 'privacy' mode is only unlocked when an alarm is active in the room. Dodde talks about the QR code:
We have put a QR code on every room. So when I take someone to bed in the evening, I scan the QR code. That works very smoothly.
Update resident data in real time
Under the project name 'Zorgbrein', Oktober developed a user-friendly dashboard on which resident data is updated in real time. Veerhoek explains: “Initially, it was continuously reactive. We wondered how we could make it proactive and how we could involve the entire chain.”
Vitality data is made clear at a glance via graphs. The vitality data is automatically retrieved from the various integrated systems. The most innovative aspect lies in the application of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Algorithms are applied to the lines in the healthcare professional's ECD reports. A mood score is assigned to these based on the words selected in the report, derived from the Stanford University model. These scores are converted into a graph, making the results immediately visible.
From data to actionable insights
Veerhoek talks about the data processing:
There are two business intelligence specialists who convert all data from the home automation system into usable dashboards for healthcare in real time. False alarms are detected in this way.
The clinician and nurse assistant are the ones who review the mood analysis.
With 'Zorgbrein', Oktober is currently analyzing sleep rhythms, daily rhythms, and mood. Veerhoek has even more ideas to expand this further in the future:
“Now we also want to be able to record a resident’s health data using a wearable. The moment something goes wrong, you need to be able to trace it back. With a wearable, you can intervene immediately in the event of an abnormal value.”
Advice for healthcare institutions
Veerhoek has advice for other healthcare institutions:
Take control yourself and do not leave it to the suppliers. We are not ahead of our time with this healthcare technology , but progressive.
Berkelmans adds: “The strategy also involves deploying the right people. So, a working group for technology, care, and suppliers. What is also important is that the healthcare professionals are on board.”
Because deploying new technology is not possible without healthcare professionals.
Plans for the future
In the future, Veerhoek and Berkelmans want to translate intramural care automation to extramural (home care). Veerhoek: “In an intramural resident's room, all care automation covers a single area. In a residential home, this is different because you are dealing with multiple rooms. We have many people on the waiting list who, due to their medical condition, can no longer actually live at home. We believe that technology and innovation will be an important solution for this target group.”
