Innovations in the healthcare sector: Interview with the Divine Savior Hospital in Vienna

Wednesday afternoon in Hernals. We enter the modern and open Divine Savior Hospital and are greeted by a smiling porter who directs us to the elevators. After just a short ride in the elevator, we are met by Michaela Latzelsberger, Managing Director of the specialist clinic. After a warm welcome, we take a seat in her office and get talking. We wanted to find out what the creative industries have to do with the healthcare sector and what the expert's assessment of innovation in the healthcare market is. At the same time, we also found out what is already happening within her own four walls, as well as the potential that collaboration with the creative industries can bring in the future.

 

KAT: Ms. Latzelsberger, thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. What does the Divine Savior Hospital offer for start-ups and innovation?

ML: We have innovation fellows in our hospital, but also in other hospitals in the Vinzenz Group. These are employees who collect ideas or approaches that are intended to lead to new projects, facilitate processes, improve everyday hospital life or create added value for patients. We also have our own innovation hub within the Vinzenz Group, where these collected ideas are evaluated and, ideally, implemented. To this end, we already have a lot of contact with start-ups and cooperate with larger established companies. One example of an idea that originated in the Innovation Hub is the new "Hallo Gesundheit" health app - it will be developed further over the next few years with the aim of enabling patients to manage their own health data and access medical services digitally. This innovation is already in use at the Barmherzige Schwestern Hospital and the Göttlicher Heiland Hospital and is designed to make the healthcare process easier for patients.

 

KAT: That sounds incredibly practical. That means you already do a lot in this area. Have you worked together with creative people?

ML: We have different areas in which we use the power of the creative industries. When it comes to the creative side, we have a lot to do with architects who help us plan and build the hospital of the future, but also with advertising agencies that help us create communication material for both healthcare professionals and patients. With a complex healthcare system like Austria's, it is particularly important to us that our creative partners help us to translate information into language and images so that it is simple and clear for everyone to understand.

And we are currently working on a project with the Museum of Modern Art under the direction of our Head of Clinical Psychology. The Mumok is currently closed for renovation and the art mediators are currently with us organizing art workshops with geriatric patients. We are also in the process of implementing a study to measure the impact of engaging with art on geriatric patients. We believe that engaging with art, creating it yourself, has a positive effect on health. Even though we are still in the middle of the study, you can already feel this positive aspect in the participants. That's why we thought we would also exhibit the works in our hospital once the first round is complete. For us, this combination of art and health is linked to a holistic view of body and mind.

KAT: So your hospital will also become a gallery, how nice! Where do you think there is still creative potential? What added value do creatives have for the healthcare sector? Where can creatives provide support, e.g. in cases of uncertainty or fear in the healthcare sector?

ML: It's about how and in what way people can be reached and how complex processes in the healthcare system can be explained simply and presented clearly. Providing good information is important to allay fears. The creative industries can also offer this support to hospitals and healthcare companies. Our hospital is currently in a phase of remodeling and planning a new building, including redesigning the forecourt of the church in the hospital. We are being supported by creative architects and an inspiring artist.

 

To summarize, the added value of creative professionals is that they can transform complex thoughts, processes or developments into memorable, understandable and sometimes even entertaining images and applications and create new, beautiful spaces. This helps in many areas. Also in the healthcare sector, especially to reduce fears of hospitals.

 

KAT: As we have already discussed, many companies in the creative industries are innovative start-ups with the potential to provide innovative solutions for the digital, green and social transformation in particular. As you are an expert in this field, I would like to ask your opinion on this: is this digital transformation that you are living in your hospital also part of your vision for the healthcare market?

ML: Digitalization is a very big topic at the moment. Although human contact will always be essential in the healthcare sector - and especially in a hospital - digital solutions are being sought and used specifically in hospital operations, including for patients. In the future, we will generate huge amounts of data that we can use for efficient decision-making, the individualization of therapies or the early detection of diseases. Patients will be able to manage their appointments and findings themselves and conduct their therapy consultations online. Digitalization can help guide them through the healthcare system to quickly find the right point of contact.

 

For this change, we need competent staff who can deal with new technologies and the sustainable use of resources. This also includes the human resource, which must be handled in a sustainable and respectful manner - especially in times when healthcare staff are overworked. In this area of tension, digitalization holds enormous potential for healthcare, but also the challenge of using this potential responsibly.

 

KAT: If there is a creative mind in our network who actually has a groundbreaking idea but no implementation partner yet, can they get in touch with you? Are you still looking for partners from the creative sector?

ML: Then please give us a call. I regularly make time for appointments with start-ups and see how we can support their implementation or which pilots we can launch in our company, because I believe that people benefit from the expertise we have in the healthcare sector. In any case, it's a win-win situation for both sides. We are open to new ideas and, where possible, we also provide creative space and are happy to try things out.

 

Are you still looking for partners in the healthcare sector?

Are you working on an innovation in the healthcare sector and still need support from experts? Are you looking for a location for a pilot project or do you have a groundbreaking idea for which you are still looking for an implementation partner? Then get in touch with Divine Savior Hospital now. It's best to send an email directly to beatrix.peknic@khgh.at and arrange an initial meeting!

Interview conducted and article written by Marie Sophie Janaczek