Realitylab ward of the future

Purpose and goal

The aim of the reality lab at Sahlgrenska University Hospital was to develop hospital care, by facilitating the testing of digital functions in real care environments and in ongoing activities. The goal was to increase patient participation and to develop new ways of working for the employees. In accordance with the set objective, a functioning platform was installed at a hospital ward, followed by tests of digital functions. Policies governing tests of external IT functions have been mapped and discussed in relation to how project of this type is handled in practice.

Expected results and effects

Creating a platform for testing in a real-world setting proved to be an effective way to test the organization internally as well as to test digital technology to create new ways of working. The project has identified improvement proposals for a number of processes, mainly regarding the need for increased collaboration between healthcare and IT organization, but also regarding the structural conditions. Based on the outcome form this the project, an important lesson is to carefully anchor development project of this type in order to ensure the commitment of the healthcare personnel.

Planned approach and implementation

Initially, a needs analysis was conducted based on service design where both patients and employees were interviewed. Based on the identified needs, a workshop was conducted to identify suitable companies to include as partners. After that, the test platform was established. Continuous work has been performed to anchor the project in the activities at the testing ward. Three tests were carried out sequentially; differentiated calls, The Food App and Chatbot for increased communication. The service design method provided a good basis for both structure and design of the work process.