Netcompany is driving an innovative project in close collaboration with Nordsjaellands Hospital and University of Southern Denmark (SDU), where patients can be hospitalised from their own homes whilst maintaining close around-the-clock contact with doctors and nurses.

Since April 2022, seven patients have been part of the project called “Influenz-er” and have opted to continue their hospitalisation from home. In the first phase of the project, the target group is patients with respiratory tract infections with mild to moderate symptoms. The app and approach has been very well-received. 

In the future, more patients in Denmark can be offered the opportunity to be hospitalised in a home setting while receiving digital care from the hospital. The first patients have already trialled this option through this innovative project. 

During a home admission, the patient is provided with a set of devices to measure their respiration, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. The results are sent directly to the hospital multiple times a day through an app developed specifically for the project. The app, “My e-Hospital”, developed by Netcompany, is installed on the patient’s mobile phone or tablet and monitors the patient’s condition, enables the patient to follow the hospital plan, and provides a direct communication channel to the medical staff around the clock. 

Thomas Koefoed, Partner at Netcompany comments: “It is an innovative digital solution developed alongside scientists, personnel, and patients at the hospital. The app is simple to use - making it accessible to patients without substantial digital knowledge. This project emphasises how digital solutions and innovative mindsets can help our healthcare system by freeing up resources for the patients that need urgent care. With home admissions, we decrease the risk of infections spreading, and at the same time we give doctors and nurses more time for critically ill patients who are admitted to the hospitals. If we are to solve the challenges facing our healthcare systems, we need to take advantage of the digital possibilities.”

Thea Kølsen Fischer, Professor and Chief of Research at Nordsjaellands Hospital and one of the architects behind “Influenz-er” got the idea for the project when witnessing the high pressure that influenza epidemics put on the health care system. This was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic where home admissions would have been a useful tool for the hospitals. She adds: “We are testing how we can provide the best care and treatment to all patients while prioritising the limited number of hospital beds for the ones most in need. The feedback from the patients hospitalised at home has been very positive and the patients have felt safe during their admission.”