Fredrik Lann, head of the 1177 Direct unit in region Örebro, talks about how the digital unit has improved collaboration between healthcare staff, created a better working environment, and facilitated the recruitment of skilled employees. The unit, which now functions as a central unit, has achieved a significantly improved way of working through digitization and effective communication.
“During my 20 years in healthcare, people have always wished for better collaboration when treating the patient. Now we can truly coordinate care around the patient. Through our chat, the central unit has solved this from day one.”
Trusting cooperation between nurses and doctors
One of the most important success factors in the central unit 1177 direkt Örebro is the close collaboration between nurses and doctors. Through daily morning meetings and constant dialogue in the digital work environment, everyone in the team is up to date and can discuss patient cases in real time.
„The doctor attends every morning meeting. This means that any changes made for the nurses are also known to the doctors. If something needs to be adjusted, we discuss it immediately and find a solution together,“ explains Fredrik. ”With short and frequent digital meetings, we can quickly change anything that is not working optimally.“
In a traditional healthcare environment, communication between colleagues can sometimes be inefficient. “Three nurses may work in separate rooms and believe they are working in the same way, but after several years it may turn out that they have completely different ways of solving the task at hand. With us, it’s easy to ask a question in the chat and get an answer right away. This allows us to work more consistently and quickly support each other.”
Fredrik points out that the digital format also reduces interruptions that can otherwise disrupt the workflow.
“With us, we can ask questions continuously without it being perceived as a disturbance. You answer when you have time, unlike a knock on the door that requires immediate attention.”
Image of what the tool looks like for clinics.
A flexible work environment that gives you energy
Working remotely can be a challenge, but for the team at 1177 Direkt Örebro, it has been more of an advantage. According to Fredrik, the staff enjoy this way of working and feel that they have more energy after the working day.
“I have not received any indications that anyone feels lonely or isolated – quite the contrary. Many describe having more energy left after work, which allows them to spend more time with family and friends.”
The flexibility of the working method is also a major advantage when it comes to recruitment. Since staff do not need to be geographically tied to a specific location, the unit can recruit staff from all over the country.
“We can recruit nationally, which means we can find the right skills quickly. We can even take on a doctor today and have them working tomorrow. That flexibility is a huge strength.”
Patient benefits – prioritization based on care needs and faster assistance
For patients, the digital unit means a more efficient and secure care experience. However, the most important patient benefit is not always visible to the patient, as it involves more efficient behind-the-scenes processing, which means, among other things, that patients with more serious conditions are prioritized.
“In this system, the greatest benefit is how the tool sorts which patients we should prioritize. Previously, we only took patients based on how long they had been waiting on the phone, but now we can quickly identify those with more serious problems and take care of them before those with less serious symptoms or administrative issues.”
Many patients are pleasantly surprised when they receive help faster than expected.
“The population is starved for this kind of fast and efficient service, where they can report a case and get a doctor’s appointment within 15 minutes – and still be able to sit on their kitchen chair.”
For example, a case can be quickly discussed in the nursing team or handed over from the nurse to the doctor. “Maybe a new appointment is made, or it can be resolved immediately, a prescription is written, and the whole case is closed in five minutes. Such fast and efficient handling can of course take place in other contexts, but with us it happens two or three times an hour!”
Fredrik also describes the importance of being able to easily gather several different healthcare competencies in a patient case.
“I like the expression ‘swarm intelligence’ – that a patient case can be assessed by several different healthcare professionals so that we can jointly arrive at the best solution.”
The digital approach at 1177 Direkt also means that resources are used in the right way and that the division of labor is more efficient. Fredrik believes that “80 percent of patients can be treated and managed by just one clinician. But for the 20 percent who have more complex cases, we need to be able to quickly bring in more expertise.”
Image showing what the patient portal and app look like.
Digital, yet close
Through effective communication, flexible working methods, and smart digital tools, the central unit at 1177 Direkt Örebro has created a work environment where both staff and patients have a better experience.
“The digital way of working has brought us closer together, both as colleagues and in our relationship with patients,” concludes Fredrik.