Creating the Future of Healthcare Together: 2017 Hacking Health Camp

You could see, hear and feel the energy from the moment you walked into the room at the 4th Hacking Health Camp, sponsored this year by ALE. Lively discussions, whiteboard drawings of models and a collaborative spirit with an entrepreneurial edge were the hallmarks of this event. It was held March 17–19, 2017, at Strasbourg University Hospitals in France.

Healthcare professionals, designers, hackers, and entrepreneurs gathered to create applications to solve some of healthcare’s biggest challenges – from communication to improving patient care. The weekend was much more than an event, a workshop or a camp. It was an opportunity to get the stakeholders of healthcare together and design a future to provide the best possible patient outcomes.

Gaining Firsthand Knowledge of Healthcare Challenges and Opportunities

Instead of developers creating technology solutions for healthcare professionals, the Hackathon uses a co-construction vision. It consists of physicians, nurses, hospital administrative staff AND technology professionals working together without the pressure of everyday work tasks. They each bring a unique perspective, expertise and skill set. The result: innovative healthcare applications that make a difference in business and patient care.

The 14 Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise employees who volunteered at the Hackathon left with more than just new knowledge. They actually took and developed technology solutions based on the ALE connected platform Rainbow. They now have two prototypes based on Rainbow active to start turning into reality. By working side-by-side with healthcare professionals, they gained a new understanding of the problems healthcare workers face day-to-day. It gives each patient the care they deserve, fight the barriers to incorporate healthcare technology and deal with the common pain points when using cloud computing technology. This understanding helps ALE exceed market expectations as it delivers its healthcare solutions. But more importantly, many new friendships and partnerships were formed between teammates from different industries while working together on a common goal.

Working with Healthcare Professionals to Create Technologies Driving Healthcare Trends

The Hackathon also gave ALE employees a chance to work on projects outside normal work responsibilities, but in areas of personal interest. One employee was able to further explore his interest in 3-D technology when he joined a team that focused on utilizing 3-D technology for prostheses. The majority of the ALE employees worked on the following two projects based on ALE’s connected platform Rainbow:

• Precovery – This team worked to solve the continual healthcare challenge of reducing complications after surgery. By using the team’s diverse experience, they developed an application preparing patients for outpatient surgery. It monitors their progress before the surgery. The app acts as a virtual assistant that follows the patient through the process. In addition, it and communicates with the surgeon, patient, relatives and attending physician. A Rainbow-powered BOT ensures that the mockups work in real-life situations.

• PôleBook – People shared daily life challenges in the gynecology department from the University Hospitals of Strasbourg (HUS). Securing communications with the right colleagues, planning meetings, sharing documents are a primary cause of inefficiencies. The team worked together to understand the unique needs of healthcare professionals. Furthermore, they designed a social media network for hospital personnel, which won a top Digital Innovation award at the Hackathon. The application allows staff to communicate directly with each other through instant message. They are also able to share documents and receive notifications through a newsfeed. Clinicians can set their status based on their availability to communicate.

Looking Forward

Most importantly, the visions and models invented at the Hackathon didn’t just get pushed to the back shelf come Monday morning. ALE is already working at transforming PôleBook from a prototype to a reality leveraging Rainbow platform. The digital transformation of healthcare is happening quickly. Thanks to the experiences gained through events like Hackathon, ALE has the insight, knowledge and expertise to be on the forefront of creating the future of healthcare.