CHALLENGE
A complex patient is a patient who suffers from a number of different conditions. Conditions that require simultaneous active treatment. Many of these patients risk being moved between wards without anyone assuming the overall responsibility. This implies a real risk of confusion and erroneous treatment. The challenge from the Regional Hospital of Randers was to improve the process for these patients through more efficient and better coordinated treatment and improved support for the patients and their relatives.

PROCESS
Initially, the challenge was defined and described. The point is to improve cooperation across medical and surgical wards. Both types of wards consist of highly qualified and competent staff – but due to the high degree of specialisation, they do not usually meet each other on a daily basis.
The design company Hatch & Bloom carried out numerous observations, focusing among other things on the differences in the perception of problems between staff and patients, on the great need for practical tools and on the many good but underutilised ideas among the staff.

RESULT
Among other things, the process led to the establishment of two in-patient wards reserved for patients with simultaneous medical and surgical conditions. Additionally, a new staff function was established in the form of a coordinating doctor for these patients, and a number of specialised nurses were appointed whom the rest of the hospital can contact in order to build a stronger and more effective interdisciplinary foundation. In a parallel effort, a campaign was developed to motivate the hospital staff to increase collaboration between the surgical and medical wards. And finally, the term ‘complex patients’ was changed to ‘cross patients’.

Institution The Regional Hospital of Randers
Design company Hatch & Bloom A/S