Inholland Lecturers on Their Role in Medical Delta Living Labs

From the Centre of Expertise in Prevention in Healthcare and Welfare at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, two lecturers serve as program leaders at Medical Delta Living Labs to turn healthcare technology into everyday practice. "We are researching how to best integrate technology into existing care pathways."

This article was originally published on the Inholland website.

Prof. Dr. Robbert Gobbens, lecturer in Health & Welfare for Vulnerable Elderly, is the program leader of the Medical Delta Living Lab Blended Rehabilitation. "'Blended,' also known as hybrid, is the combination of physical care and the use of technology. In the living lab, we investigate how to best integrate technology into the care pathways that already exist. We also look at the other ways of working that this requires. How does it meet the needs of patients and their relatives? We mainly focus on healthcare professionals, as they will ultimately need to apply these innovations and smart technologies." The goal of the living lab is to encourage professionals and healthcare organizations to work in a hybrid way, give more control to patients, and improve the outcomes of rehabilitation.

Blended Care Pathway

In addition to Gobbens, Dr. Marije Holstege, special lecturer in Geriatric Rehabilitation, is involved in the Medical Delta Living Lab Blended Rehabilitation in a dual role. She also works at the healthcare organization Omring, one of the three field partners in the lab. "Together with Robbert and Laurence Alpay (former associate lecturer), I supervise the PhD research conducted by an Omring colleague within the lab. The central question here is how to shape a blended care pathway in co-creation with stakeholders in practice, taking into account the digital skills of the patient. And when integrating, for example, an app or telemedicine, what work does it replace in the rehabilitation process?"

The Medical Delta Living Lab TIPIZ, as Holstege describes it, 'runs through all the Medical Delta Living Labs.' After all, the entire healthcare sector benefits from the positive impact of technology. The synergy with the Medical Delta Living Lab Blended Rehabilitation is very strong, as both labs focus on healthcare technology. "That's why I'm involved in both labs," says Holstege. "This way, we can strengthen each other, learn from each other, and avoid duplicating the same practical research."

Prof. Dr. Robbert Gobbens will be appointed as a Medical Delta Professor on Tuesday, April 8. His appointment, along with those of eight other Medical Delta professors and lecturers, will take place immediately after the (work) conference on health & innovation: 'Action in the Delta' in Delft. The meetings are free to attend, and registration can be done here.

Care Organizations Closely Involved

"In her dual role, Marije beautifully bridges the gap between research and practice," says Gobbens. "I am pleased that innovative care organizations like Omring, Pieter van Foreest, and Basalt have joined forces so that we can really apply practice-oriented research and see what works or not."

What makes the impact of the Medical Delta living labs even greater is the collaboration with universities, which focus on fundamental research, and with vocational education (MBO), many students of which continue to the elderly care sector. Gobbens: "As a university of applied sciences, we create a strategic connection between academic research and the practical work of MBO and field partners through practice-oriented research, bringing knowledge of healthcare technology, for example, via the professorships. In turn, I bring expertise in vulnerable elderly people, a group I know very well and is very large in rehabilitation care. With this broad collaboration, we create even more societal impact by spreading knowledge about blended working nationwide, for example, through the University Network for Elderly Care in Amsterdam and the Academic Workplace for Elderly at Tilburg University, where I am involved."

Learning to Apply Health Technology

Inholland students are also connected to the living labs, Holstege emphasizes. "As part of their innovation assignment, Nursing students are researching best practices in healthcare technology, how it can be applied more widely, and what the experiences of patients in rehabilitation are. For example, can you use the app Minddistrict (a platform with tools to guide clients and patients) in geriatric rehabilitation?"

There is a key direct line from fundamental to practice-oriented research and education in the living labs. "We involve students and lecturers from Nursing and other programs to familiarize them with the world of rehabilitation and the growing role that technology plays in it," says Gobbens. "It's important that students gain this knowledge so that they can successfully apply healthcare technology later. And honestly, I think it's important that students discover how attractive and versatile elderly care is through our research projects. The societal challenges are found here. It would be great if tomorrow's professionals take on those challenges."

Join the Living Labs

Are you a healthcare professional, researcher, or lecturer interested in technological applications in (rehabilitation) care? Join one of our living labs. Please contact Robbert (robbert.gobbens@inholland.nl) or Marije (marije.holstege@omring.nl) for more information.