On 20 January, we kicked off the national ‘Slimme Zorg Estafette 2025’ at the TechMed Centre (University of Twente) with an inspiration session on digital healthcare innovations. During the evening program, innovators from Twente and Salland presented various healthcare innovations to each other, such as digital care pathways for children with asthma, transmural telehealth for heart failure patients and digital support in the care pathway for obese patients. Ninety enthusiastic participants attended from healthcare (primary and secondary care, nursing care homes and home care (VVT) such as Carinova, Carintreggeland, Liberein), companies (Vivica, Nedap Healthcare and MedTech Twente) and knowledge institutions (university and higher professional education), active in digital healthcare innovation and Remote Patient Management (RPM).
The experiences from innovation projects of three top clinical hospitals (Deventer Hospital, MST, ZGT), primary care organizations and VVT (including Roessingh, TZA, Salland United) and knowledge institutions (University of Twente, TechMed Centre, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, ROC van Twente) in our region, emphasize the importance of cooperation for successful integration of new solutions in healthcare processes and organization-wide changes.
In addition to success stories, the ZGT shared a brilliant failure, its experiences with developing a serious game to get patients to exercise more. Despite a positive prototype and good feedback, they got stuck in financing problems and ownership disputes. The importance of early validation, realistic expectations and clear agreements was emphasized.
Finally, with an expert panel, participants enthusiastically discussed eHealth opportunities and risks in our region. For example, a systematic stakeholder analysis from the start is essential to add value to technology in healthcare.
It was a successful evening full of positive energy in which knowledge was shared and new connections were made. Therefore, we will continue to work together in the region on this topic and a follow-up meeting will be organized in May. Join us if you have ideas for improving healthcare in the region with digital solutions. Or if you see opportunities for pilot projects through the ‘Zorg Innovatie Plein’. The recently awarded Regio Deal Twente project ‘Zorg Innovatie Plein’, which was also presented this evening, offers opportunities to support promising innovations in the field of improving the accessibility of chronic care.
The conclusion is that Twente/Salland is the region for digital healthcare innovations in chronic chain care. With three top clinical hospitals, strong collaborations with primary care organizations, knowledge institutions, companies, and committed government and health insurers, the region offers unique opportunities for research and innovation. The Twente/Salland region combines these areas of expertise to accelerate impactful MedTech innovations for chronic chain care.
The eCMC, a driver of digital healthcare innovations in the Twente/Salland region, is open to parties who want to collaborate in the field of ‘Remote Patient Management (RPM)’ and eHealth for digital remote care.
