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[Annual Report 2020] IT AS A BACKBONE IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS: HOW CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS ENSURED SMOOTH PROCESSES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

[Annual Report 2020] IT AS A BACKBONE IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS: HOW CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS ENSURED SMOOTH PROCESSES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS
2021 12-20

In order for a healthcare player like the LNS to fulfil its central role in times of crisis, many competencies are required. At the centre of it all, of course, are the different health experts. However, their contribution to the handling of the COVID-19 crisis would not have been possible without expertise in the fields of Human Resources, Information Technology, Infrastructure & Logistics and Finance.

Digitalisation is a magic word in many places, although implementation often falters. At the LNS, digitalisation has already been systematically implemented for years, and the COVID-19 crisis has further strengthened this trend. The focus here is on efficient processes that deliver tangible benefits to patients.

Healthcare and digitalisation are considered key elements of almost all relevant innovation concepts. Very often, both are mentioned in the same breath, and together they form an essential theoretical basis for tomorrow’s society. COVID-19 has pushed plenty of these theoretical considerations into reality and given the digitalisation of healthcare a lasting boost. This is also and especially true for the LNS, as Yannick Kirschhoffer, in charge of IT, explains: “From the very beginning, the coronavirus crisis was a string of different unpredictable situations for which we had to find working solutions very quickly.”

Yannick Kirschhoffer

A MIX OF PRAGMATISM AND CREATIVITY

According to Yannick Kirschhoffer, these solutions required both pragmatism and a high degree of creativity. This was true, for example, in October 2020, when the LNS was directly involved in the COVID-19 tests: “At that time, the number of infections and thus also demand for tests rose very quickly. Due to the workload of the private laboratories, the LNS was asked for help, virtually overnight, and we had to set up two test centres in a very short time, one at the Kirchberg and another at our site in Dudelange.”

In this context, it was also necessary to provide customised IT solutions in order to be able to guarantee smooth processes right from the start. Yannick Kirschhoffer: «Since the LNS is located at a traffic junction, we had to rule out long queues. Another requirement was that we had to be able to deliver test results within 24 hours. In both cases, our contribution as IT experts was needed. By quickly procuring and installing PCR testing machines and setting up a complete online booking system, we were ultimately able to make a significant contribution towards the LNS being able to meet these requirements.”

TEAMWORK AND LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE

It is in the nature of things that the technology did not always run smoothly right from the start. Here too, however, Yannick Kirschhoffer underlines the ability of his team, the LNS as a whole, and also the various external partners to cope with crises: “In our booking system, for example, users were initially unable to make any changes, which then led to a high number of calls. In addition, we first had to find the right partners for the various tasks. However, we were able to get all this over quickly, not least thanks to extremely intensive exchanges between all those involved, and real teamwork at all levels.”

Yannick Kirschhoffer also sees this teamwork as a particularly impressive outcome of the coronavirus crisis: “We positioned ourselves at the LNS as COVID-19 fighters, and this is exactly the spirit we lived by: we stood together against the virus. We are therefore also sure that, against the background of this common experience, we will continue to bring long-term benefits to public health in our country. Contacts between the scientific departments and the IT service, which have once again become much more intensive, will help us in this.”

Download the LNS Annual Report 2020: https://lns.lu/publication/annual-report-2020/