Access and inclusion – New innovation culture at Denmark’s largest university hospital, Rigshospitalet
With the innovation programme A Wealth of Ideas “IdéRiget”, Rigshospitalet set out on a new course, i.e. to make the obvious move to boost public sector innovation by inviting frontline staff to come forward with their innovative ideas. What would be more obvious to do and yet never done with scalability.
The scope of the innovations program was to:
Full scale prototypes in a fraction of time
Good ideas with a strong potential to change rarely go directly from idea to execution. Even the most promising idea starts in a form which must be elaborated further and iterated several times before it can be launched. IdéRiget provides the time, resources and access to executive decision power that can clear the road to proven concepts and implementation.
10 entrepreneurs were given a timeframe of 6 months, full compensation, a little money to pay for prototyping, consultancy services from the internal “Change and Innovation Team”. Additionally training was provided by program partners DTU Business from the Technical University of Denmark supplying international faculty on an executive program level. Governance for IdéRiget was handled by the 8 members of The Innovation Board covering 5 external members with huge experience from private sector innovation and 3 internal members with substantial insight in clinical and hospital management issues.
Leukemia patients getting equipped for a wireless world
The Innovation Board selected the two very best concepts for a large scale implementation. One of these makes it possible for patients with leukemia to receive chemotherapy in the comfort of their homes due to the use of a portable digital pump. The concept enables patients to spend more time with their families, stay on their own favourite menus, keep up with physical training, go shopping, enjoy usual pastime routines and avoid risks of acquiring infections at the hospital (due to the disease and its treatment).
The patients will come to the clinic every second or third day to exchange the pump and to have a feedback session with doctors and nurses before going back for another stint at home. The solution also has the potential to reduce ward capacity and to sharpen focus on the in-clinic patients most in need of 24/7 attention. This service offer is new to Danish cancer patients and it combines key issues such as “patient-centred”, “relational coordination” and an “inter professionalism team set up”. The use of the digital pump concept is also extended to treatment with antibiotics to patients with serious infections that cause hospitalisation for up to 4-6 weeks. This is applied not only to leukemia patients but also to patients from cardio-vascular and orthopaedic surgery clinics.
Results from early implementation (Leukemia 1/1-2015-31/8-2015)
| #Patients | 40 |
| #Treatment regimens given | 75 |
| #Saved in-patient bed days | 250 |
| Duration (standard concept) | 8-11 days as in-patient per treatment period |
| Duration (pump concept) | 3-5 out-patient visits per treatment period |
| Award info | |
| Award category: | the public sector as partner for a better society - european, national and regional level |
|---|---|
| Award type: | diploma |
| Award year: | 2015 |
| Project type | |
| Sector: | Public health and social welfare/affairs |
| Type of activity: | |
| Keywords: | Innovation, knowledge management, new leadership approaches |
| Short English description: | With the innovation programme A Wealth of Ideas “IdéRiget”, Rigshospitalet set out on a new course, i.e. to make the obvious move to boost public sector innovation by inviting frontline staff to come forward with their innovative ideas. |
| Further information | |
| Organisation: | Rigshospitalet |
| Other applicants: | |
| Homepage: | |
| Level of government: | national level |
| Size of organisation: | >100 |
| Number of people involved: | 11-15 |
| Country: | Denmark |
| EU membership: | EU member |
| Language code: | en |
| Start date: | |
| End date: | |