Nr. 18, March 2012

Questions about a vital futureWithin the next few decades, the Dutch healthcare system will be facing tremen-dous challenges. Take for instance the seemingly uncontrollable rising costs, double ageing, the rapidly increasing demand for care and decreasing care services offered, that is, in terms of manpower. At this rate the current healthcare system will not be tenable in the long term. Sometimes people will joke and say that by 2040 you are either receiving or providing care; there will be no happy medium!

Can the solution be found in the free market system; in the centralization and decentralization of healthcare; can innova-tions and eHealth solutions bring a better balance between future demand and supply? Perhaps the emphasis should shift to prevention, people’s personal responsi-bility and self-management?The fact is that future healthcare is cha-racterized by 3 x More: More disease and More health resulting in More care.

Another important question is what values will be defining healthcare in 2040. In an open and dynamic society new ethical dilemmas will continue to surface, dilemmas that determine our position towards the “whats” and “wherefores” of healthcare.Again and again the familiar question ‘what is necessary care’ pops up, what services should be included in the health insurance package and what part should be for the account of the insured (a new version of Dunning’s funnel?).

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Another question is how, in a highly individualized and secularized society, social ties can be strengthened in order to enable mutual care.

VitaValley has taken the initiative to ask a number of prominent figures in healthcare for their opinion on the developments they are observing as we are moving towards 2025 and 2040. By 2040 we will have reached the upper limit as regards ageing and the decline in the number of young people. They were also asked their views on solution approaches that should be initiated right now to try and bring the demand for care and care services offered into a sustainable balance.

All of these contributions will be compiled in a book: ‘Een vitale toekomst: Onze gezondheidszorg in 2040’ (A vital future: Our healthcare system in 2040). This book will be presented on 22 May at a conference organized by Zorgvisie and VitaValley. You can read more about this on page 2 of this newsletter.

The intention is, together with policy-makers, to identify the coming challen-ges at an early stage in order to introduce the necessary adjust-ments before it is too late.

Dirk Jan Bakker MD PhD, VitaValley Member of the Board.

VitaValley Projects and Developments1 Questions about a vital future 2 By 2040 you are either receiving or

providing care2 Wim Schellekens,

VitaValley Board Member3 Vision of the future for patient portals4 Zorginnovatie.nl5 Increasing Vital Innovators’ power6 Short news VitaValley projects

VitaValley Partners6 Exergaming for the elderly7 New VitaValley partners

News and developmentsin healthcare and technology7 Short news 8 Sensotive: client-focused

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own vision, and by doing so, end up with three possible strategies on how to retain the vitality of healthcare’. Bakker is of the opinion that the world of politics should be looking for a long-term solution and need to look beyond the average period of office. ‘By doing so we will avoid the occurrence of a situation whether either all Dutch people will need care, or are employed in healthcare themselves.’

Must-ReadA vital future is an eminently book and a real must-read for politicians, policymakers, healthcare executives and anyone who has dealings with healthcare from a social or professional position.

Book presentation and congressOn 22 May of this year the book will be presented at the Vital future congress at the Geldmuseum in Utrecht. On that day prominent figures from the Dutch world of healthcare will be sharing their views on issues such as: • What should healthcare be like in 2025?• What should be done in the run-up to

the year 2040, the year when ageing and dejuvenation will be at their height?

• Can the demand for care and care servi-ces offered be brought into a sustainable balance without relinquishing important achievements in the fields of quality and accessibility?

About the originators:Dirk Jan Bakker, surgeon (non-practising) was appointed medical director of AMC Hospital in 1995. In 2004 he was one of the founders of ‘Stichting VitaValley’, an innova-tion network in healthcare.Since his appointment as professor emeritus of Social Medicine, Doeke Post has been an advisor and member of the supervisory boards, in addition to which he is active in various healthcare fields (in particular in geriatric care) and politics.Johan Polder works at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in Bilthoven, and is attached to the Tranzo division of the Tilburg University in his capacity as affiliate professor of Health Economics. Maarten Verkerk is affiliate professor of Christian Philosophy at the Technical University of Eindhoven and the University of Maastricht. He is Chairman of the Board at ‘Stichting VitaValley’, an innovation network in healthcare.

A vital future is published by Reed Business. The book is available via the www.elseviergezondheidszorg.nl website, in regular bookstores or via the customer service (+31(0) 31 435 83 58).

Authors: Dirk Jan Bakker, Doeke Post, Johan Polder, Maarten Verkerk, / ISBN: 9789035234239 / Edition: 1st edition 2012 / Price: € 49.50

By 2040 you are either receiving or providing care

Wim Schellekens, VitaValley Board Memberof the Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement CBO. Wim is now 64 years old and has officially retired.

Wim Schellekens: “I still enjoy dedicating myself part-time to innovations and the quality and safety in health care. What does it take for us to actually apply our knowledge in practice, and more specifi-cally, how do we ensure patients become actively involved as partners in the team? How can professionals, administrators and supervisors, much more so than is currently the case, fulfill their roles and responsibilities with regard to quality

and safety (“governance”)? Within this context health insurers can play a significant and stimulating role through contrac-ting. And how can sufficient compe- tence be developed in these areas? As a member of the VitaValley team, I am in the privileged position of being able to collaborate towards this goal.”

On 1 March of this year, Wim Schellekens joined the Board of VitaValley, in which capacity he will be active two days a week. Schellekens has won his spurs in the field of quality and safety in curative healthcare and enjoys the backup of an extensive network in this sector.

At the end of April 2011 Wim Schellekens bade his farewell as chief inspector at the Healthcare Inspectorate. Prior to this, he held successive positions as General Practitioner, medical advisor for the Health Insurance Council, director of patient care services at the Delft hospital and director

On 22 May of this year, Reed Business will be publishing the book A vital future; Our healthcare system in 2040. In this Dutch book, over 25 experts and scientists will be answering the question ‘What is the future of healthcare’?

The book contains a diverse range of essays, each with a future vision and approaching the subject from a different angle, such as the new style of dementia care, the e-Revolution, the role of informal care, the necessary growth of the occupational group of healthcare professionals and the development of new business models. All topics are discussed against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Dutch demography where highly significant social developments are taking place.

The initiative for this publication was taken by VitaValley. VitaValley is of the opinion that the set of healthcare developments as a whole – costs, demography, care-related and social trends – requires a fundamental reas-sessment of the future of healthcare.

Political inevitabilityBy means of this book the originators are hoping to open up the political debate. Dirk Jan Bakker, one of its originators: “It’s not a gloomy book, we have tried to paint a colorful and visionary picture of all of the possible developments in healthcare. At the conclusion of the book we also present our

VitaValley Projects and Developm

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Wim Schellekens

For more information and to register, please visit www.reedbusinessevents.nl/vitaletoekomst

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Patient portals are a hot topic. Many organizations active in health, care and welfare, meanwhile have their own portals or hope to have these in the near future. Portal services often differ per provider and can vary from online scheduling, access to medical data, self-management applications and access, to online communities. As such, portals can make a significant contribu-tion to the safeguarding or enhancement of the quality, accessibility and affordabi-lity of healthcare. In order to achieve this goal, cooperation between stakeholders in healthcare will be crucial. The enormous growth of the number of portals over the past few years has resulted in a fragmented service offering. This service offering will lead to more options, but also to a lack of overview. A chronically-ill patient, for instance, can make use of a portal linked to the GP, hospital, patients’ association, regional healthcare portal, etc. In addition, healthcare professionals are asked to link up to and participate in multiple portals. In practice this means that the scope of nearly all of the portals is limited. As a result, the potential offered by the portals is insufficiently capitalized on.

Cohesion through collaborationAll of the above is a signal that more cohe-sion between patient portals is required. This need applies to users, healthcare professionals, portal providers and suppliers of specific eHealth applications (hereafter referred to as service suppliers). To this end, three levels of collaboration will need to be established.

1. Sharability of user information Currently consumers / patients need

to register with various portals and log on to be able to make use of the services. In the event they have to up-date their own information, they often need to do so in different locations. Collaboration between portals can simplify this process, for instance by allowing the profile information to be shared (if so indicated by the user) or by making service-related information sharable. For functionalities such as the updating of self-management

data, this will result in a better total overview. Moreover, collaboration may allow for the once-only logon for access to multiple portals.

2. Healthcare information systems Currently many portals have not as

yet been integrated in the underlying healthcare information systems. As a result, the functionality of the portals remains limited and the portals are not synchronized with the regular healthcare work processes. In view of the number of different healthcare information systems (HISs, ZISs, KISs) it is difficult to link a portal to all of these systems. The same goes for the reverse: for an ICT vendor generating a separate link for each portal is a costly affair. Solutions such as Health Vault and PAZIO are giving the initial im-petus to have portals and healthcare information systems linked by means of a data platform. This is where potential opportunities can be found to facilitate link-ups of portals and healthcare information systems. On the other hand, this will create new issues involving the configuration and management of these data platforms.

3. Services So far the service offering for each

individual portal is rather limited. Due to issues of scale, providers often find it not cost-effective to develop their own sets of services for each portal. By making services available to multiple portals this bottleneck can be removed. On top of that, this benefits providers of portals as they are then able to provide a more comprehensive service package. As a result, the number of visitors and use of the portal can be increased. At the same time this will benefit service providers. As services are made available on more portals, this will result in their increased use. One of the ways to realize this is by offering services in a shared ’app store’ (see the example in the below figure).

In cooperation with its partners, VitaValley is hoping to further build on its vision of the future for patient portals based on the participation of multiple portals. We will keep you informed of any developments through channels such as the LinkedIn group. Should you already wish to share your views or participate, please feel free to contact us.

By: Janneke de Groot, VitaValley / Vital Innovators

Zorgaanbieders Online

PAZIO Wijkzorg.nl

MentalShare NIPED PharmaPartners

Sterk op je werk eConsultationPreventiekompas eAppointment

PsyFit Lab ResultsKleur je leven Health Record Access

OPEN APP STORE

Vision of the future for patient portals

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VitaValley Projects and Developm

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the scale-up criteria, by generating specific information and by acquiring support and funding. In other words, no window-dressing to promote your own fantastic ideas, but specific requests for support to address the innovation issues at hand.The objective is twofold and coherent: the acceleration of innovations and increasing the chances of success. To this end we dis-tinguish several phases: idea development, concept development, business plan, de-velopment, financing and implementation. During each phase, people are asked for their input. These may include website visi-tors, healthcare sector employees or experts employed by the support organization.

Offline collaborationZorginnovatie.nl is more than just a website. It is accompanied by a platform of parties willing and able to accelerate innovations in healthcare. In addition to the online features, offline collaboration is established in the form of support, training, master classes, research, investment mee-tings and an incubator.

DevelopmentVitaValley is of the opinion that the accele-ration of healthcare innovations is its core task and that it has the network, ambition and potential to help shape the develop-ment of the platform. The knowledge, experience and manpower to further flesh out this concept and turn it into a success, lie with Vital Innovators.In line with the fundamental principles underlying zorginnovatie.nl, we would like to ask partners to contribute to the develop-ment of the platform. From concept phase and development, to financing or ultimate implementation. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please contact the undersigned. We will naturally keep you informed of any developments.

By: Wilco Schuttelaar, VitaValley / Vital Innovators

Zorginnovatie.nl

As long as forty years ago, the first two computers were connected, marking the era of the internet. Four decades later, the worldwide web has boomed tremendously and has become an integral part of our society. Many market sectors rely on the internet to accelerate developments and innovations by bringing together ideas, knowledge and expertise. The fact that one of the fastest growing sectors in the Netherlands is still insufficiently reaping the rewards of these opportunities, sounds like a paradox.

Online innovationThe need for innovation in healthcare is widely recognized. Although there are a great many ideas in the Netherlands on in-novation in healthcare and there is a great demand for these, innovations are slow to materialize. Causes often cited are insuf-ficient incentives, complicated financial arrangements and the large number of stakeholders involved in the implementa-tion of innovations.

Looking beyond the borders of the healthcare sector we continue to identify better methods to make use of online possibilities for the development, accele-ration and support of innovations. In the healthcare sector, too, many initiatives are being proposed, but only few of those are actually aimed at the actual acceleration and support of innovations. They often never even get off the ground, for example because parties are mainly interested in raising their own profiles instead of looking for development partners. In addition, the indispensable link between online and offline opportunities is not made.

Sharing knowledge onlineVitaValley and Vital Innovators have been looking into the idea of creating an online platform where parties can meet and share as much knowledge as possible: www.zorginnovatie.nl. Acceleration can be achieved by bringing parties together, by the early testing of ideas against the market, by guaranteeing compliance with

Using online resources for acceleration of healthcare innovations

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Flexible resource strategy

Working at Vital Innovators is challen-ging, varied and at times, unpredictable. Sometimes projects will have a laborious start as a result of complex decision-making processes regarding financing, to then suddenly gain momentum. On occasion this will require extensive implementation capacity, whereas at other times fewer staff will suffice. And although we are working on the general availability of our own staff by acquiring knowledge and experience in the widest possible sense, there are times specia-lisms are required that we ourselves cannot offer.

Increasing Vital Innovators’ power

For this reason Vital Innovators applies flexible resource strategies in the form of health innovators that are working with other organizations.Some of these are self-employed, others on the payroll with another employer. Each and every one is committed to attaining good results and achieving a social impact by creating lasting improvements in healthcare.

As a participant in the flexible sourcing strategy, you are more than just a name in Vital Innovators’ ‘rolodex’, waiting to see if you receive a call for an assignment.

We actively keep each other informed of developments and projects, exchange knowledge and develop new insights. This cooperation is taking on an ever more definite shape and increased added value. Together we are seeking to create an organization without clearly defined boundaries where people from within and without Vital Innovators can work toge-ther. In this way, we are generating more power and creating a greater impact than would have been possible individually.

By: Brigitte Gabel, Vital Innovators

Jurjen Julianus Jurjen studied business and IT at the State University of Groningen and is currently living in Utrecht. By way of his thesis subject and work placement at

PAZIO he came into contact with VitaValley and Vital Innovators. Thanks to this work placement he came into contact with healthcare, in addition to which he noticed that there is still much to be gained in the fields of healthcare and ICT. Jurjen: “As a health innovator, at Vital Innovators I am given the opportunity to pursue my interests relating to the interface between people and ICT to the fullest extent. In addition, naturally I hope to learn a great deal from the more experienced advisors at Vital Innovators.”

Pim KetelaarFrom 2005 Pim was managing director of Telecom4care and he is a Board member of the Dutch Association of eHealth (NVEH). Together with the Vital Innovators team, he

will be working on sustainable (eHealth) innovations in healthcare with maximum social impact. After obtaining his engineering degree and a Professional Doctorate in Engineering at the Industrial Design Department of the Delft University of Technology, Pim held various positions in international compa-nies where he worked on innovative ICT applications. Over the past few years he initiated and realized a great number of innovative eHealth and healthcare ICT projects with Telecom4care. He is hoping his changeover to Vital Innovators will further expand his impact in these fields.

Vital Innovators has recently expanded its team with the addition of three health innovators. Jurjen Julianus and Pim Ketelaar have been working for the organization for a few weeks now and Hans ter Brake will start on 1 April next.

Expansion of Vital InnovatorsHans ter Brake

Hans studied applied mathematics and business administra-tion at the University of Twente. In addition, Hans has applied himself to gaining a thorough knowledge

of the ‘experience economy’ and more specifically, the application of Joseph Pine’s original theory on healthcare and IT. During his studies Hans ter Brake started his first job at Stichting ZCS. This was a regional collaboration between healthcare organizations with a view to the development, implementation and management of IT systems. Together with three colleagues, Hans set up this foundation as an independent company. Seven years later PinkRoccade took over the business as part of its ambition to become a strong player in the Dutch healthcare sector. For over 15 years Hans held a leading position. Hans is chairman of the Association of ICT and Healthcare Organizations (‘Vereniging van Organisaties voor ICT en Zorg’, OIZ). Hans ter Brake’s ambitions are aimed at the innovation and optimization of healthcare with IT as its main driver. Vital Innovators is enlisting his services as he believes that both healthcare and the innovative application of IT will expe-rience stronger growth when creating - international - organizational partner-ships with the patient in a partner role.

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Exergaming for the elderlyExergamesIn the study, that takes place at the Mayo Clinic HAIL lab, the traditional movement program as part of movement intervention is replaced with exergames. These are video games that are played by moving the body: a much more fun way to exercise. In the process the effects of introducing additional motivators to the exergame environment are studied. These motivators could consist of teamwork or competitive elements. Do they contribute to increasing game frequency and do they keep people

to keep on gaming, and therefore exercise, longer? And if so, what type of people are susceptible to this?

Even though the study has not as yet star-ted, VitaValley has already realized a pos-sible follow-up study: its application for an ’Exergames for dementia sufferers’ study by TNO and VUMC is currently being reviewed by the Alzheimer Association.

By: Annerieke Heuvelink, TNO

VitaValley is committed to promoting the welfare of elderly people and to this end collaborates with its partners in order to create innovations. Take for instance the Healthy Ageing and Independent Living (HAIL) collaborative effort between the Mayo Clinic, TNO, VitaValley and the Noaber Foundation, aimed at knowledge and expertise exchange in the fields of healthy ageing and independent living. It is a well-known fact that the main factor associated with these issues is physical fitness in which respect suffi-cient exercise is key. At the same time, we know that elderly people generally do not exercise enough. For that reason research is required into finding methods to get this vulnerable group to exercise. Within the scope of the HAIL cooperation, as of the end of March, Annerieke Heuvelink from TNO will start a year-long study at the Mayo Clinic in order to ex- plore innovative ways to reach this objective: by means of motivating game mechanics.

VitaValley - PartnersVitaValley Projects and D

evelopments

Short news VitaValley projectsfor kidney patients with the objective of providing them with optimal and cost-effective support when reducing their salt intake. In large part, this care management model consists of e-tools for self-management purposes, remote care and a community for mutual support and knowledge exchange. By means of a pilot we are hoping to demonstrate that this care management model will prove to be successful in persuading a significant part of the target group to reduce its consump-tion of salt. Significant health gains can be realized by lowering patients’ salt intake: less medication is required, there is a diminished decline of the renal function and in the long term, reduced dialysis frequency. We are now looking for inves-tors to get the care management model actually developed and implemented.

ADHD diagnosticsIsraeli company NeuroTech Solutions has developed a new test (MOXO) for

improved identification and classification of ADHD. In Israel the test proved to be highly successful and is currently applied in at least 75 clinics. In view of the ties NeuroTech has with the Noaber Founda-tion, University Medical Center of Nijme- gen and Trimbos Institute, it intends to introduce the test to the Dutch market soon. Vital Innovators has been asked to canvass the market.

Wiser with WelderHow to age in good health? How to remain in employment when you are chronically ill? The Welder Foundation has developed resources that can help chronically ill patients better manage their disease. These resources are applied to keep track of the patient’s care requirements and are largely internet-based. VitaValley is assis-ting the Welder Foundation in formulating its business plan in order to ‘market’ these resources.

PAZIO In February of this year, health portal PAZIO proudly introduced itself at the HIMSS in the United States. This generated a great deal of additional interest from primary and secondary healthcare. Meanwhile in Holland, much work was being done on a new user interface, as well as the implementation of PAZIO at new locations in Leidsche Rijn and Maarssenbroek. Furthermore this month the new functionalities ‘Kleur je Leven’ – ‘Color your Life’ (MentalShare) and self-management (VitalHealth Software) are launched. In May, PAZIO will be organizing a seminar at which the latest state of affairs and initial research results will be presented.

Kidney care project newsIn cooperation with LUMC and UMCG nephrologists, dieticians and psycho-logists, we have been working on the drafting of a care management model

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ActiZ is the trade organization for healthcare

entrepreneurs active in nursing homes, homes

for the elderly, homecare, juvenile healthcare

and maternity care, and promotes the common

interests of its members. Approximately 415

members with over 420,000 employees deliver

products and services to some two million

clients. This makes ActiZ one of the largest

employers’ organizations in the Netherlands.

In order to enable entrepreneurship, our

members need room to innovate and improve.

It is up to ActiZ to establish efficient framework

conditions for this. In addition, we create an

environment within which high-quality care

and services are generated that ensure the best

match with the client’s needs. Our members

demonstrate transparency with regard to their

services and ActiZ assists them in this.

Membership of VitaValley enables collaboration

with strategic partners, both inside and outside

the healthcare industry. In cooperation with its

partners, ActiZ wishes to focus on the imple-

mentation of innovations and at the some time

lobby for the required framework conditions.

ActiZ brings a great deal of knowledge and

experience to the partnership, as well as its

own network.

New VitaValley partners

Lentis, with its more than 4,500 employees, is

one of the largest organizations in mental he-

althcare and geriatric care in the Netherlands.

People requesting their services, generally live

in the north of Holland. Under the brand name

PsyQ, Lentis is also active in the east and mid-

dle of the country. The patients concerned often

face severe mental issues, meaning that ideally

they receive ambulatory (within their own en-

vironment) care, or, if it cannot be helped, are

treated in a clinic. Based on its social responsi-

bilities, Lentis is highly committed to providing

consistent access to care, in a situation where

resources are becoming ever more strained and

the demand for care is increasing. In this area

Lentis has high expectations of developments

in the field of eHealth and as a result, launched

an eHealth innovation program in 2011.

Lentis sees VitaValley as a valuable partner,

able to realize proper innovation. Thanks to the

innovation network, in co-creation and on a na-

tional scale, healthcare can be better managed

and a better living environment can be created

for the elderly, psychiatric patients, chronically

ill and handicapped people. Lentis is more

than happy to actively

contribute to this goal.

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The Dutch Council of the Chronically ill and the Disabled (CG-Raad) is the national

umbrella organization for 190 patient and

disability associations. We are dedicated to the

promotion of equal rights, opportunities and

obligations for people with a disability or

chronic illness. The CG-Raad is a strong dis-

cussion partner for talks with government,

political representatives, healthcare professio-

nals, service providers and trade and industry.

We promote the interests of two million

chronically ill and disabled people.

The CG-Raad is advocating a society in which

disabled or chronically ill people are given

equal opportunities to participate in society.

The CG-Raad and its members show this

commitment in all fields of society, such as

education, work, income, living, mobility,

support, equal rights and healthcare.

In cooperation with the other VitaValley part-

ners, the CG-Raad intends to develop plans for

a new societal model. A society in which care

is geared to the needs of people with a chronic

illness or disability. A society in which they can

fully participate.

Short news ‘Leiden in de zorg – Ontregelt’ (Leadership in Healthcare – Deregulation) HRcommunity was founded in 2011 with the objective to make substantial differen-ce in healthcare and to inspire employees who are able to introduce improvements to the healthcare system. Another goal is to merge innovations that will be neces-sary in the future, into the day-to-day routines of executives, employees and HR professionals.

On 24 May of this year HRCommunity organizes the event ‘Leiden in de zorg’. VitaValley is lending its support to this event. On this day, healthcare professio-nals will further build on existing know- ledge by connecting people and by launch- ing a dialogue and supporting the learning

process: together, on the basis of our pro- fessional skills, individuality and inquisiti-veness. Reputed and renowned inspirators will guide us through the process.

For more information and registration, please visit www.leidenindezorg.nl.

Source: HRCommunity

ISCOMS – Healthy AgeingFor the 19th time, the International Stu-dent Congress of (bio)Medical Sciences (ISCOMS) will take place on 6 and 7 June of this year at the University Medical Center of Groningen (UMCG). VitaValley is lending its support to this congress.Every year, students from all over the world converge on Groningen to present their research. Last year, students from 39

different countries attended, and with a visitor count of 548 ISCOMS was a huge success.

Thanks to medical advances over the past years, people are living to an ever-greater age. However, much is still to be gained when it comes to quality of life. Healthy Ageing is not only the spearhead for UMCG, but also the focus of the congress. The subject is, for instance, discussed in various workshops as well as during the Healthy Ageing debate.

In addition to a great many students, three well-known speakers will be attending the congress. One of them is Nobel Prize win-ner Mario Capecchi. He will be discussing his study on the genetic material of mice. Furthermore, neurobiologist Dick Swaab,

The VitaValley partner network was recently expanded with the following organizations:

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New

s and developments in healthcare and technology

methods and technologies to process kitchen waste from healthcare institutions, among other places, in an effective and environmentally friendly way. But perhaps the most important aspect to point out is that their approach is actually safe. And… in many cases, payback periods are short. Also see www.greenpointsolutions.nl.

By: Maarten J. Verkerk, VitaValley

Time-consuming for healthcare professio-nals and a nuisance for clients: inconti-nence. Especially in somatic or psycho-geriatric wards, as well as in care institu- tions for the disabled, matching inconti- nence care with the client’s needs is a real challenge: clients are often not able to indicate when they need changing. Salusion offers an innovative system to support healthcare providers: Sensotive.

How does it work?Sensotive consists of a disposable sensor patch and portable scanner. The health-care professional sticks the sensor patch to the incontinence pad. The sensor patch will give off a signal when the pad becomes saturated and can be read using the portable scanner without any physical contact. Silent and by means of a discrete light, the scanner will show whether the incontinence material is saturated. Because of this the incontinence pad can be replaced at the right moment.

Quality of lifeSensotive responds to the clients’ needs. By improving personal hygiene and

Sensotive: client-focused incontinence carepromoting restful days and nights, their quality of life is enhanced. “The focus is more so on the client being comfortable,” a healthcare professional says about the use of Sensotive, “and clients spend less time feeling wet”. In addition, clients do not need to be undressed and changed quite as frequently. This greatly benefits working conditions and overall inconti-nence care.

In practiceSensotive was put on the market in 2012. Prior to its market introduction, Sensotive was extensively tested under practical conditions. The results were positive and showed that Sensotive contributes to the improvement of incontinence care.

Implementation programAn implementation program was deve-loped in view of the implementation of Sensotive in care institutions. During this implementation program a fixed number of clients will be using Sensotive for a period of six months. This way the effects of Sensotive on incontinence care can be measured as a basis for a more compre-

hensive implementation. This spring, care institutions ‘Pieter van Foreest’, ‘Ipse de Bruggen’ and ‘’s Heeren Loo’ will introduce the implementation program.

For more information about Salusion please contact Gerard Vaandrager, tel. +31 (0)15 - 744 0140 or www.salusion.com

Source: Salusion

Left: A healthcare professional using the Sensotive scanner to check on the saturation of a client’s incontinence pad. Right:

The Sensotive scanner light indicates that the pad needs changing.

well-known for his book ‘Wij zijn ons Brein’ (We are our Brain) will be speaking on the subject of his brain research. The last speaker is Nicholas LaRusso, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation. He will be addressing a topic that the Mayo Clinic considers an area for special attention, Healthy Ageing and Independent Living.

Are you interested in the congress or

ColophonPlease send any queries on the contents of this newsletter by e-mail to the editorial staff at nieuwsbrief@vitavalley.nl.

Final editing: Véronique van der Linden

Stichting VitaValleyZonneoordlaan 17 6718 TK Ede The Netherlands

T +31 (0)318 – 65 77 15 F +31 (0)318 – 65 77 21

www.vitavalley.nlinfo@vitavalley.nl

Design: Axis Media-ontwerpers, Enschede

© VitaValley 2012

would you like to know more? Please visit www.iscoms.com or contact iscoms@umcg.nl.

Source: ISCOMS

Green innovations in healthcareHow green is healthcare? In my search for all kinds of green technologies, I hap-pened to stumble upon a company called Greenpoint. This company has developed