From 60 to 30 minutes: Informing with Indiveo transforms sleep apnea consultation

"We just didn't have a choice anymore - the workload became too much."

With these words, nurse Sija van der Maten describes the situation that led to a radical change in the care of patients with sleep apnea at Frisius MC Leeuwarden (formerly Medisch Centrum Leeuwarden). A change that not only halved the workload, but also raised patient care to a higher level.

The challenge

In modern health care, efficiency is often at odds with quality. Frisius MC Leeuwarden faced a growing dilemma: an increasing flow of patients with sleep apnea, particularly due to the increasing number of overweight people. With ten new patients per week and consultations lasting 60 minutes per patient, the waiting list and workload were steadily increasing. "It was actually becoming untenable," Sija says. "We had to change something."

Digital information

The solution was found in the use of visual patient information from Indiveo. Through a Digital Video module (Divi) explaining the treatment of sleep apnea: CPAP. The Divi module contains an animation that shows how and why CPAP works in sleep apnea. It is also possible to offer additional information in a Divi.

For this purpose, Sija's team developed an instructional video demonstrating the specific CPAP device that the patient will use. Prior to the consultation with the nurse, patients are presented with this Divi digitally. "This way, patients (re)know the device they will receive at home," Sija explains. "So they have already viewed the explanation of how CPAP works and the specific device prior to the consultation with us."

Consultation time cut in half

The impact was immediate. Consultation time could be reduced from 60 to 30 minutes - a halving of the original time. This not only meant a huge efficiency gain, but also created room for more personal attention during the consultation. "As nurses, we can now focus on what is really important: fitting the mask, answering specific questions, understanding the patient's individual situation."

Human measure as a success factor

The success of this approach lies in the careful balance between digital efficiency and human contact. "We made a conscious decision to continue providing instruction as nurses, rather than outsourcing this to providers," Van der Maten says. "Because we have access to the medical record, we can be more responsive to other conditions people have." "That makes all the difference."

Everyone gets the care they need

This personalized approach is proving valuable. Patients who have already viewed the digital information are well informed, highly satisfied and also spend less time in the consultation. "Patients who are less digitally proficient, we don't schedule in 30 minutes," says Sija. "For them, we just take more time," says Sija. "The bottom line is that everyone gets the care they need."