International recognition for Healthcare DENMARK’s report on telehealth
Several of Odense University Hospital’s innovative projects have a prominent place in Healthcare DENMARK’s recently published white paper on telehealth and dementia. The papers have already received international recognition.
The paper on telehealth takes the entire Danish healthcare sector as its starting point and many of the projects referenced are from Odense University Hospital. An example is the innovative work with telepsychiatry which the Region of Southern Denmark is now covering for the whole country, and the successful experiment with camera pills for diagnosing colorectal cancer.
Another project from Odense mentioned in the report is the new solution for monitoring prematurely born babies in the home. This makes it possible for the families to start their new life at home with the baby instead of in the hospital. This service will now be expanded to cover more patient groups at Hans Christian Andersen’s Hospital for Children and Adolescents, and the idea is to implement it at other hospitals as well.
“Shorter periods of hospitalisation is a strategic goal for Odense University Hospital. Telehealth enables patients to be discharged earlier by being “hospitalised at home”. It improves the quality and efficiency of treatment and offers more empowerment and quality of life for patients,” says Peder Jest, CMO at Odense University Hospital.
The paper has already had international recognition. Healthcare DENMARK has been contacted by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in England calling the report “one of if not the best and most readable papers on telehealth I have seen.” UCLan and Healthcare DENMARK are now establishing collaboration in the area.
Dementia friendly hospital
Healthcare DENMARK’s other paper presents innovative dementia friendly solutions that has the objective of improving the quality of life for dementia patients. One of the examples in the paper is the current work done to make Svendborg Hospital a dementia friendly hospital – not only at the geriatrics ward but at the entire hospital. It is not only about changing the physical surroundings but mostly about educating the entire work force. The knowledge and experience that will come out of the process will be used to establish more dementia friendly hospitals in Denmark.
“At a modern hospital, we have an obligation to offer high-quality services in diagnosis, treatment and care for patients with dementia, regardless of which hospital department they are admitted to. This requires both a surplus of empathy and expertise from the hospital staff and appropriate physical surroundings and design to improve the quality of healthcare and quality of life for patients and their families,“ says Peder Jest.