The snapshots we have seen from some of Europe’s leading healthcare markets indicate that the common denominator is change. Data analytics play an important role in that. But for data analytics to even be an option, data needs to be captured digitally and made available. This is not necessarily easily achieved, explained Pieter Krop, Commercial Director Patient Engagement at LOGEX and expert on implementing digital tools and data analytics within healthcare. We spoke to him about the challenges of this journey and how to overcome them.
Pieter, you have been active in this field for close to twenty years. Can you describe the state of healthcare ten years ago?
Back then, the development of healthcare known-how was centered around traditional lengthy clinical trials, anecdotal clinical expertise, and sometimes retrospective cost analyses. These methods are notoriously slow and, in many cases, inadequately reflect real-world clinical practice variation with actual real-world patient populations.
What brought about the realisation that change was needed?
Various factors contribute to the need for real-world data collection in healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular highlighted the limitations of traditional methods. It created a demand for faster data capture, digital analytics, and remote follow-up solutions. Healthcare organisations had to rapidly implement these systems, exposing the painful backlog in the deployment of digital healthcare solutions necessary to meet these shorter healthcare knowledge life cycle requirements.
So, part of the solution lies in using more digital tools and analysing data. But knowing the solution and applying it are two different things, right?
Indeed, many hurdles remain in this transformation. Technical challenges include integrating new digital tools with outdated legacy systems, dealing with fragmented data across various databases, and ensuring data consistency for effective analysis. There are also concerns about compliance with regulations such as GDPR and the (IT) resource constraints most healthcare institutions face.
Is it even possible to overcome these hurdles?
It is certainly no easy task, and we have had our share of disappointments as well. Projects that proved to be too ambitious for the available budgets, people involved and hours in the day. But even though the lessons we have had to learn were tough at times, they have helped us to become more realistic, plan for contingencies better and to make sure we use the time of care providers wisely. The cliché we learned is true: keep it small and stupid.
How are we progressing?
With patience and perseverance, we are collectively transforming healthcare into a more digital and data-driven sector. This shift allows for improved decision-making, enabling providers to treat more patients with the same resources while achieving similar or better clinical outcomes.