News

Public-Private Partnerships in South Denmark – solutions for people suffering from delirium

Published on: 15/02/2023

Public-Private Partnerships in South Denmark – solutions for people suffering from delirium
Ecosystems

Workshop with public and private partners provided insights to private partners on how these collaborations can support user-driven development of solutions for cognitively impaired patients suffering from delirium.

In December 2022, the Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark and Lillebaelt Hospital facilitated an open call workshop focusing on new solutions and products supporting and shielding patients suffering from delirium – including patients with dementia. The aim was to present the needs of people suffering from delirium across different departments at Lillebaelt Hospital and to provide insights for design companies and industry partners invited to the
workshop.

Patients with dementia are at high risk of developing delirium


It is estimated that approximately 80.000 Danish citizens suffer from dementia and approximately 15.000 are diagnosed every year. Patients with dementia are often cognitively impaired and need calm environments and less stimuli. If these patients are not shielded during admission to hospital they are at risk of developing delirium which
leads to longer hospital stays – and in difficult cases it may lead to long-term cognitive disabilities, loss of functional abilities and, in worse case, death.

Lillebaelt Hospital is mapping specific needs for cognitively impaired patients

In Denmark, hospitals have an increased focus on the challenges of patients suffering from delirium and
how to tackle these challenges. This increased focus is the background for involving design companies and industry partners in a public-
private partnership where Lillebaelt Hospital provides expert knowledge and experiences to product development. Lillebaelt Hospital has identified specific needs in the prevention of delirium and set out a number of product specifications to guide the development of new solutions.

One of the cases to be addressed – Stressful admissions

Admission to hospital is stressful for any person but especially for vulnerable people with cognitive impairment. An admission may result in over-stimulation of the senses in an unknown environment with unfamiliar sounds, lighting etc. Patients may become confused, afraid, and develop delirium. Therefore, the hospital has identified and highlighted the need for shielding these vulnerable patients from e.g. light, sounds and other people during transportation. However, shielding the patient must not prevent
the health care staff in providing the necessary treatment. During the workshop, overall requirements for developing solutions for the health care sector were also
addressed e.g. hygiene, compatibility, safety, storage etc.

User-driven solutions

The goal is to ensure the best possible foundation for specialised needs- and user-driven solutions to be implemented at Lillebaelt Hospital and other hospitals for the benefit of vulnerable patients. It is expected that the specifications will result in one or more solutions to be implemented in the health care sector. The partners will meet again in April 2023 where the private partners will present their design concepts and ideas and receive feedback from the public partners and health care staff.

NEWS​

Related News

Health innovators eye fast-track growth as Leeds transforms historic medical school

16 May 2025
Innovation in healthcare is switching to the fast lane in Leeds as partners shape a globally-leading approach to supporting businesses set to occupy t...

Global Cancer Ecosystem launched to tackle health inequalities worldwide

15 May 2025

BRAINTEASER Legacy: Data, tools and knowledge for advancing future research in digital health for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

14 May 2025
BRAINTEASER Final event – Tuesday 3rd June 2025 – @ENCALS 2025 Meeting

ATRIDE Launches the Next-Gen “Holter for the Lungs” At Web Summit Vancouver 2025

14 May 2025
Atride lung shirt is part of the larger EU funded Digilung project lead by Tehnopol, partners Atride, MoveUP, Cognuse, VUB. The project is highly rele...

Open call of 40k for up to 6-Month VR/AR Co-Creation with Leading European SMEs

13 May 2025
The VR Health Champions project, coordinated by Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), has launched an Open Call offering up to €40,000 to SMEs developing innov...

Toronto’s new innovation studio highlights aging-in-place solutions

13 May 2025
Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the AGE-WELL Innovation Studio is your gateway to the future of aging and care. Whether you’re a tech compan...

Become a member

Join ECHAlliance to amplify your organisation’s message, grow your networks, connect with innovators and collaborate globally.
 
First name *
Last Name *
Email Address *
Country *
Position *
First name *
Last Name *
Email Address *
Country *
Position *