We use cookies to make this website work well for you.

I understand
Healthcare and care at distance
17/41
Select category
Close

Min vård – The healthcare centre in your smart phone

Sweden Distance treatment
Min Vård (My Care) is a digital complement to the physical Healthcare centres in the Region of Dalarna, Sweden. Currently Min Vård offers video appointments with doctors for new matters to the citizens in Dalarna. Service hours are weekdays, evenings and weekends. Min Vård was run as a project for two years and has been fully implemented in the Region of Dalarna since February 2019. During 2019 the service will evolve by more performers, different professions and ability to get revisits and follow-up. Min Vård is staffed mutually, by employees from all healthcare centres, private and public, authorized by Health Choice Dalarna. Citizens take their own desicison on need of the care service and then book, pay and join the meeting via a mobile application.
The solution offers close care with more entryway for the patient, increased access for those having physical, mental or social obstacles to get to physical Healthcare Centre and fast handling of simple cases. It is also timesaving, no need for traveling, and no triage, no one but the patient himself decide about the need for appointment. For healthcare centres "Min Vård" is Resource-efficient, video care visits are performed faster than physical meetings. It also supports collaboration, health centres may share staff. Possibilities to refer relevant cases to the app if shortage in available physical appointments, increased digital literacy in organization are other effects. Flexible workplace increases possibilities to recruit, even to rural areas.
During the past two years, when Min Vård was driven as a project, it carried out approximately 2000 care appointments with doctor for new matters. Since implementation of service, in February 2019, service accomplish about 400 video care visits per month. Patients are of all ages, from very young kids to elderly. Performers are employees from any of all the Healthcare Centres authorized by Health Choice Dalarna ( Health Choice or Care Choice is a way to describe the commitment and to accredit Primary Care in Sweden)
minvård.png
Min Vård offer citizens of Dalarna increased possibility to take own decisions, about if and when there is need for a care visit.

Quotes/testimonials

"Dare to start! Go ahead, take things one by one and consider how it works out."

—Head of Clinic, Dalarna.

Elaboration

Needs and challenges

The Region Dalarna introduced the project Min Vård to meet the needs for increased access, by more alternatives to care visits, and to create more capacity, for those individuals who really need a physical care visit.

Further, the region realized necessity to come along digitalization, and also that the economy of the region was affected when private actors could acquire “outside-county-fee” through offering digital care service. 

Solution and function

My care – the Healthcare Centre in your smart phone is a digital complement to physical Healthcare Centres for citizens in Dalarna. Min Vård was run as a project 2017-2018, and is implemented in the Region of Dalarna since February 11, 2019. The service is staffed mutually, by employees from all Healthcare Centres, private and public, authorized by Health Choice Dalarna

Min Vård is a separate basic unit connected to the journal system, which firstly means that performers has as good access to patient information as in a physical care visit, secondly that the service can be followed-up. 

The service is performed through a technical platform designed for digital care visits. All routines work the same way as when the care visit is performed physically, with the same templates and handling of referrals, laboratory tests  et c.  Eventual referrals and test answers are followed-up by the same doctor that referred or prescribed. 

Performers may work in ordinary workplace or from other place of own choice. If performer choose other place than ordinary workplace, performer is obligated to use the Region´s system and device, and to ensure local is undisturbed and proper with enough light, and to be properly dressed.  

Patients cannot list themselves at the basic unit Min Vård but have access regardless where listed. Mostly, the patient make his own descision to recquire the service and may then book, pay and join the meeting via a mobile application. Healthcare Centres telephone advisory nurses can refer to Min Vård in relevant cases, if patients conditions and the nature of the issue fit the service. 

What kind of  health related issues  that fits the service are outlined by instructions in the mobile application, and is also summarized in the information about Min Vård at the website 1177.se. Currently Min Vård offers video appointments with doctors, for new matters, to the citizens in Dalarna. Service hours are weekdays, evenings and weekends. During 2019 the service will evolve by more performers, different professions and ability to get revisits and follow-up, which foremost will support patients suffering from long-term or cronic disease. Service also offer prospect to use the system in more of the region activities. 

Economy

So far Min Vård had a 2 m SEK budget. This funded technical platform, Head of Clinic/project leader and other expenses.

There could be beneficial consequences to region economy, if citizens of the Region Dalarna choose Min Vård instead of private alternatives. 

Process

Autumn 2016 Region Dalarna decided to, beginning  in 2017,  carry out the pilot project Min vård – the Healthcare Centre in your smart phone. Project was furthermore prolonged by one more year. Technical platform designed for digital care visits, was procured from a chosen supplier; Visba Care.

Just a few months after project initiative, the service was running. Staffing was initially voluntarily, by doctors and physioterapists who accepted personal enquiry, and also had permission to put some hours per week to Min Vård,  from Head of Clinic at their ordinary work place. Performers schedule themselves by own preference. 

Min Vård is implemented and part of ordinary healthcare supply in the Region of Dalarna since February 11, 2019. Since 2019 staffing of Min Vård is part of commitment in Health Choice Dalarna; all authorized Healthcare Centres pitch in a number of hours, depending on the number of listed patients at their base unit. 

Success factors to emphasize are that the project purhaser and owner, Head of Division, has been pushing and responsive, and the fact that both Political and Administrative management has given Min Vård strong support.  

An other important success factor is that projekt members, performers, administrators and participators from IT and Communication units worked this out well, resulting in a successful project,  now implemented in the ordinary healthcare supply in the Region Dalarna, and also conduce other digital initiatives of use to the citizens in Dalarna. 

Organisation and politics

Political and Administrative Management of the Region Dalarna has, all time, shown interest and given strong support to Min Vård, and pushed the topic as strategically important to the region, which has been a success factor.

Since 2019 staffing of Min Vård is part of commitment in Health Choice Dalarna. 

Follow-up/monitoring

Min Vård is a separate basic unit connected to the journal system. There is continuous follow-up on parameters registered in journal system. Technical platform also includes questions about patient- and performer satisfaction.

Project Min Vård has among other followed-up the number of completed visits, patient age and gender, diagnoses, if patient applied the proper level of care giver, if visit was relevant/needed, patient satisfaction and if the patient applied care for same issue within short time after visiting Min Vård. 

Communication

Opportunity to access Min Vård is communicated towards citizens via the website 1177.se. Min Vård has also been seen in social media and local daily press.

Information to employees and recruitment go by internal channels.

More about effects

Min Vård offer citizens of Dalarna increased possibility to take own decisions, about if and when there is need for a care visit. The service enable more flexible work place, which may contribute staff welfare and willing to stay. By Min Vård the region has increased its digital literacy and is now ready to proceed digitalization.

Beyond economical effects there is also increased confidence in the Region Dalarna as a modern organization, care giver and employer.  

Learnings

An advice from  project management towards other organizations willing to do something like Min Vård is to dare to begin, dare to start up even if there are unsolved details. Through small steps you will go a long way over time. 

Both performers and patients tell that the service is easy to access and use. 

Initially there were some challenges in getting the service to co-operate with existing system. These inconveniences are now solved. 

At the moment, the Region Dalarna  investigate ways to integrate the service to 1177.se, the journal system, webb booking system ant other systems, which should give even better efficacy.  

Min vård – The Healthcare Centre in your smart phone is a part of Primary Care in the Region Dalarna. Staff performing service,  the way it is designed today,  are all employed at one of the Healthcare Centres authorized by Health Choice Dalarna. All routines work the same way as when the care visit is performed physically.  Performers have same access to patient journal, follow-up of referrals and test answers are handled the same way as if visit had been physical. 

To patient thes means an experience of the service as a part of a care chain where patient is given the opportunity to choose digital when possible and physical when needed. 

Digital alternatives to physical care visits, can be offered for new matters as well as for revisits and follow-ups. Service may also be provided by several professions, in both primary care and in hospital clinics, youth healthcare habilitation and more. System may also be used for collegial consultation, within and betwen care givers, when there is a need for parts to join a meeting from a distance ( interpreter, relative), and to create resource pools or other forms of collaboration. 

Patients and performers have access to service regardless of location, as long as there is internet and a device. 

Head of Clinic, Min Vård, Matts Lindgren. E-mail: matts.lindgren@ltdalarna.se  

Min vård – The Healthcare Centre in your smart phone 

Provider of service is the Region Dalarna. Provider of the  tecnical platform is Visiba Care. 

https://visibacare.com