Strategic planning tools deliver continuity of care
Crises including pandemics, heatwaves and cyberattacks are putting health and care service providers under ever-growing pressure, with limited digital tools capable of swiftly adapting service delivery in an intelligent manner. The DYNAMO(opens in new window) project sought to address this by developing tools to better anticipate pressure points and mobilise services quicker when health services come under strain. To do this, DYNAMO focused on how health services are delivered and organised at a strategic planning level. “This was about how services, staff, capacities and resources can be reorganised across units, organisations and sectors, to maintain continuity under crisis conditions,” explains project coordinator Lutz Kubitschke, from empirica(opens in new window), a private research and consultancy firm in Germany. “So, not simply ‘more technology’, but rather a strategic planning tool to help organisations model alternative service delivery pathways, assess likely impacts in advance and coordinate resources more effectively.”
Structured crisis simulation exercises
DYNAMO used pre-commercial procurement to achieve its aims. Rather than buying an off-the-shelf product, the consortium created a competitive development process to stimulate innovation where no ready-made solution yet existed. For this, the project brought together a multinational buyers group, comprising partner organisations from European health and care settings in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. These included hospitals, regional health authorities and long-term care providers, supported by research organisations. “This mix mattered because crisis response planning requires technical, organisational and care-related perspectives to come together,” says Kubitschke. The project aimed to deliver a solution that was applicable across different national and organisational contexts. The work itself was highly collaborative and highly competitive. Following the call for tenders, seven competing suppliers were selected to develop strategic planning tools. Two suppliers were ultimately selected to develop and test pilot systems. “The procurers defined real high-pressure scenarios, ranging from heatwaves to staff shortages,” remarks Kubitschke. “These were used to shape requirements and guide suppliers. Pilot versions were tested through structured crisis simulation exercises rather than live emergencies, which was both practical and ethically appropriate.”
Sophisticated resilient service planning
Through these realistic simulations, DYNAMO demonstrated the benefits of data-supported strategic crisis planning. Available data was used to test the likely feasibility and consequences of alternative options before implementation, and to then plan resources, such as staffing. The idea is that giving planners and decision makers the tools needed to respond more coherently in crisis situations can empower health and care providers and ultimately leads to better care. “DYNAMO showed that pre-commercial procurement can be used in a structured and productive way to address a shared European health system challenge,” says Kubitschke. “The project also helped procurers become more sophisticated in thinking about what resilient service planning actually requires: not just software, but also better cross-sector coordination, role clarity and training.” Key lessons gleaned from the experience include the importance of intuitive interfaces and clear user guidance, the need to retain proper human oversight, and the importance of feedback loops so that planned actions can be tracked and reviewed.
Better organised responses when crises escalate
Next steps include further refinement of strategic crisis pathway planning, moving towards potential uptake. “We need to demonstrate to health and care providers, public authorities and procurement bodies that these kinds of tools can also support wider business continuity planning and, potentially, aspects of routine service planning,” notes Kubitschke. While DYNAMO is not a clinical decision tool, it has a lot to offer patients. “DYNAMO helps organisations maintain continuity of care, reduce avoidable disruption and protect access, safety and quality when systems are under stress,” adds Kubitschke. “The real value of a solution like this is fewer breakdowns in service continuity, more resilient service pathways for vulnerable groups and better organised responses when crises escalate.”
