Written by Ruben de Neef, Impact Specialist
Florence Nightingale was 34 years old when, in 1854, she made her nightly rounds, lantern in hand, among the wounded soldiers on the frontlines of the Crimean War. She had been sent out to bring order to the chaos, and armed with her statistical expertise, she achieved a great deal. She devised an innovative chart to keep track of exactly what her patients died of (most did not die as a result of their injuries). Based on those insights, she introduced life-saving standards for hygiene in healthcare (also back then: washing hands!). Mortality rates plummeted dramatically.
Florence was an all-rounder. When you hear that she spoke seven languages, advised European heads of state and shaped the professionalisation of the nursing vocation worldwide, it’s understandable that a 34-year-old ‘Impact Specialist’ would be of little use to her. She fulfilled that role herself.
Leadership of nurses
In my work, I come across many nurses with similar qualities to Florence. True: plenty of leadership exists in this profession. Nurses know better than anyone how care can be improved. Fortunately, they no longer need to know the ins and outs of everything. For example, knowledge of algorithms and programming is not at all necessary for the use of telemonitoring. That’s where Luscii comes in. As an Impact Specialist, I have the privilege of guiding nurses in the use of Luscii. Yes, that’s right. Because designing digital care paths together with nurses is fantastic work.
Using Luscii means innovating care. And innovating means doing things differently, to do things better. Before we get started with telemonitoring, I discuss with the nursing team what ‘better’ actually means. A clear objective helps to set up the new care path as effectively as possible and to assess later whether things really have improved. An example: “Patients receive aftercare that is tailored to their individual situation, while the care team spends less time on this per patient”.
Building a new care path together
Next, I ask every caregiver involved something important. “What are you hoping for? And what are you afraid of?” These questions help break the ice (“I don’t want to become a digital nurse!”), but above all emphasise that change is not enforced. Everyone can and wants to change, but no one wants to be changed. Nurses are the ones who determine what the care of the future will look like.
Then we move on to the practical side of things: translating the objective into the possibilities of the Luscii platform: determining measured values, alerting deterioration early and stimulating self-care. This is how we build a new care path together. Luscii’s Clinical Engine uses artificial intelligence to determine which patients still need to visit the hospital, who will benefit from remote guidance and who is ready to do it all by themselves.
Ready to get started? Get learning! After the initiation of the new care path, I keep in touch with the nursing team, to learn and to optimise. After all, innovation in healthcare is never finished. Tomorrow can be better than yesterday with the possibilities and insights of today. And then there’s no longer a need to be an all-rounder, all alone. Nurses understand care and know what can be done better. As an Impact Specialist, I know the possibilities of technology. Together we are, ever so slightly, the Florence of the 21st century.
About the author
This article was written by Ruben de Neef. He is all about making a positive impact and focused on maximising the benefits of digital care for both the patient and the professional. He knows nurses are the key to success for digital care and facilitates the exchange of knowledge between then. Ruben believes change can be a lot of fun, as long as you get to decide how to change. Innovation is never finished, so what’s next?
