Innovation and collaboration at Deventer Hospital

"For Deventer Hospital, the most important thing is to provide understandable information to the patient," said Michiel Dijkman, business manager of Deventer Hospital at a recent meeting. This vision is at the heart of a transformation within the hospital, with patient-centered care and innovation at its core.

Image: © Deventer Hospital

Michiel's personal motivation stems from his own experiences as a patient and his belief that understanding and ownership are essential to successful care.

"Of the 6600 hours in a year, I only see my specialist for 40 minutes. In the remaining hours, I have to manage on my own. Understandable information is crucial then," says Michiel Dijkman.

Digital education for all

Inform effectively

At Deventer Hospital, collaborative decision making is a high priority. For this to be truly possible, a patient must understand the information. "That means we have to help the patient get into the position to decide together," Michiel explains. Medical language is often too complex and long texts are read less and less. In the age of social media and short videos, there is a need for visual and understandable information. "This suits the way people process information today," Michiel said. This is especially important for groups with a language barrier or low language skills.

Barriers to transmitting medical information

Deventer Hospital has a diverse patient population including a large number of low-literate and non-Dutch speakers. The hospital ran into limitations in conveying crucial medical information. Traditional methods, such as leaflets with long texts, no longer proved effective.

Michiel appoints: "11 percent of our patients are low-literate, and traditional leaflets don't reach them."

In addition, the various outpatient clinics worked largely in isolation, leading to internal inefficiencies and communication problems.

Choice of Indiveo

To address these challenges, Deventer Hospital chose Indiveo. Short animations (Divis) with simple B1 language and clear visuals make medical information accessible to everyone. Patients can view it at their own time and mobile, tablet or computer, lowering the threshold and enhancing self-direction.

Image: © Deventer Hospital

The approach toward effective information and collaborative decision making

The hospital implemented a strategy based on three pillars:

Digitization

Using technologies such as Indivio, medical information was converted into understandable and visually appealing formats, also called Divis (digital-video modules). Indivio was deliberately chosen because of its focus on simple, accessible information. Michiel emphasizes, "Indivio not only helps with understandable information, but also prevents patients from seeking their answers from unreliable sources."

Collaboration

Michiel introduced the term "outpatient company" in which outpatient clinics were encouraged to work together and operate as one "company. Giving department managers responsibility for multiple outpatient clinics breaks down boundaries between departments. This promotes shared responsibility. By creating a common language and speaking consistently about the "outpatient company," the individual character of the departments disappeared and the focus shifted to the whole.

Involving all layers

When introducing Indiveo, a step-by-step approach is important, Michiel points out: "By introducing changes in small steps, people have time to keep up and get used to it." Around Indiveo, colleagues in the hospital were actively involved to help think and decide. In addition, working groups were set up and at all stages well researched what was going on in the departments so that it could be responded to. In doing so, he allowed employees to actively participate in the decision-making process.

The impact of this approach is already evident

Accessibility

The use of Divis (digital-video module) from Indiveo, has significantly improved the provision of information to patients. "You have to think about how to reach that group of people," Michiel emphasized.

Efficiency

Centralizing and digitizing processes saved costs and reduced administrative burdens. Michiel: "If we manage to make those outpatient clinics work as one company, there are so many efficiency gains in that."

Satisfaction

Both patients and staff experienced greater clarity and engagement. Employees were actively involved in decision-making, leading to greater support for change.

Collaborative decision making in healthcare starts with understandable information

A patient can only really participate and make choices when he fully understands the situation. The better the information, the better the preparation and the greater the confidence to co-decide. It's not just about what we say as healthcare professionals, but more importantly what the patient actually understands. Because only when the patient understands the impact of his or her choices can he take control of his own health.

Yet a gap exists between the physician's medical language and the patient's understanding. What is obvious to healthcare professionals can be overwhelming and incomprehensible to a patient. This makes sense: those who work in a hospital every day lose a patient's perspective. That's why making medical information accessible is crucial.

"Good care begins with understanding. By informing patients comprehensibly and effectively, we give them the tools to take charge themselves. Because deciding together is only possible if everyone understands what it's about ", concludes Michiel.