Report Medical Delta Café ‘Implementation of Innovations in Mental Health Care: What Holds Us Back?’

Not Replacing, but Enhancing

For innovations to succeed, they must align well with the needs of healthcare, stated Carmen Verdoold. "Innovations often focus on what technology can replace, while we should instead look at what it adds. By first identifying what practitioners and clients need, we can better tailor innovation to practical demands."

She also emphasized that not every innovation provides the right solution. "The focus is often on implementation without first analyzing whether a technology truly addresses the right problem. We need to reverse this process: first define the problem, then determine which innovation fits."

Vision, Leadership, and Courage

Ralph Bouman from Minddistrict emphasized the effectiveness of e-health on three levels: improving care quality, increasing cost efficiency, and potential cost savings. "However, an app or platform only works if it is properly implemented. Without clear instructions and integration into healthcare practice, digital care remains underutilized."

According to Bouman, successful implementation requires vision, leadership, and courage. "The final step is crucial: how do we ensure that people actually use the technology and that it creates value for patients, healthcare providers, and organizations? This requires clear goals, continuous measurement, and adjustments."

By setting up implementation projects together and creating joint plans, it becomes easier to successfully bring innovations into practice."
— Prof. Dr. Ineke van der Ham

Innovation in Mental Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities

Even when solutions are developed to address real-world problems, implementation remains a major hurdle after years of research and development. This was highlighted by Prof. Dr. Ineke van der Ham, Professor of Technological Innovations in Neuropsychology at Leiden University, during the panel discussion, which also engaged the audience. According to the soon-to-be Medical Delta professor, all stakeholders can play a role in overcoming this challenge. "By setting up implementation projects together and creating joint plans, it becomes easier to successfully bring innovations into practice."

Successful implementations begin even before new technologies are developed, noted Bexkens. "We need to collaborate early with healthcare institutions and providers already integrated into mental health care. If we align innovations with existing workflows, acceptance and usage become much easier. To make technology and innovation widely applicable, they must become an integral part of training programs and treatment philosophies." She emphasized the importance of involving the next generation: "Engage young colleagues in these innovations and show them how technology and innovation can be used to better support clients."

Cultural Change

In the subsequent discussion with the audience, the influence of organizational culture in healthcare was highlighted. It was suggested that this plays a significant role in the implementation of innovation. Healthcare professionals often work within strict protocols, leaving little room for experimentation. According to moderator (and gynecologist) Prof. Dr. Frank Willem Jansen, healthcare professionals are sometimes seen as conservative, but this stems from their responsibility for patient safety. "As doctors, we want to be absolutely sure that everything we use is safe and responsible. We need to learn to speak each other’s language to achieve better collaboration." Verdoold emphasized that an open culture and strong leadership are essential. "We need to create space for change while also setting clear boundaries. Not everything can happen at once."

"We need to create space for change, but also set clear boundaries. Not everything can happen at once. — Carmen Verdoold

Who Holds the Responsibility for Innovation? This question sparked a discussion. Bouman saw an interaction between healthcare needs and technological developments. "Innovations partly emerge from problems in healthcare, as a solution to a problem. But they also arise because technologies are being developed that could potentially be useful. The challenge is to bring these two worlds together." Bexkens added that it starts with identifying the problem to be solved. "We must collectively determine which solution truly works. Scientists translate the latest insights into practice-oriented applications and should not be overlooked in this process."

Reducing Waiting Lists in Mental Health Care

A major issue in mental health care is the long waiting times. Innovation can contribute to a solution, but according to Bexkens, more is needed than just technological renewal. "Reducing waiting times requires a broader societal shift. We must not only focus on the waiting times themselves but also on how we, as a society, approach mental health and prevention. Every party has a responsibility here."

An important conclusion from the meeting was the significance of collaboration. Bouman emphasized that understanding between different disciplines is crucial. "We need to better understand each other’s perspectives." Bexkens underscored that there is much potential for change within the sector. "We inspire each other and need to make choices together to push innovation forward." Verdoold concluded the discussion with an optimistic outlook: "We must focus on what can be done, instead of what cannot."