Digitalisation: the word is on the tip of everyone’s tongues, especially in the health sector. Definitions differ accordingly, and implementation is – just as logically – slow in many places. The LNS is the exception to the rule. The year 2021 was marked by pragmatic digitalisation, with a clear focus on: patients.
Technological innovation for people
In order to offer patients even better, the human-machine interface plays a central role, as Yannick Kirschhoffer, Head of IT Services, explains: “Today, health services are largely based on technology, and thus on IT. Conversely, they are there for people, and are also inspired or implemented by people. Therefore, our goal is to use technology in general in such a way that it complements and supports our employees in their daily work. Digitalisation in particular should make life easier for our staff, so that we can contribute to a better life for patients in Luxembourg.”
In doing so, the LNS is focusing on pragmatic implementation. The individual measures are always part of one, sustainable, overall approach and are each aimed at producing lasting effects, Yannick Kirschhoffer continues: “Digitalisation has a strategic dimension for us. It is not about setting spectacular individual signals. We simply want to become even more efficient and better with the targeted use of smart technology, at all levels and across all departments. In 2021 we made progress here in many respects.”
Patient data security optimised
One topic of extremely high interest in 2021 was IT security, and for good reason: in an increasingly digital world, the risks of cyber-attacks are also becoming more acute and comprehensive, and the health sector with highly sensitive patient data forms a particularly “popular” target. The LNS has therefore built a strategic partnership with a local security provider to ensure high level expertise and support. Yannick Kirschhoffer: “Cyber security is particularly important for us, as the attack threat level has been increasing over the last years in the health industry. With the help of our new partner, we have been running internal audits, vulnerability assessment, full network scans and ‘Red Team’ exercises, where an attack is simulated.”
The server infrastructure of the LNS’ two data centres were also modernised in 2021– at least partially – in the context of cyber security, continues Yannick Kirschhoffer: “We implemented a software solution to manage large clusters in terms of security and calculation capacity. In parallel, we extended our physical servers’ capacity with three new servers. They have mostly been in use for our National Centre of Genetics, whose new “Whole Genome Sequencing” activity requires a lot of data capacity.”
Processes further simplified for staff
The cyber security and storage capacity activities at the LNS not only affect the direct work for patients but also their data. Since 2021, employees have also benefited from further improved internal processes resulting from digitalisation initiatives. Yannick Kirschhoffer: “Together with our Human Resources Service, we introduced an identity management solution that allows automatic synchronisation of employee data across our different systems for HR, Finance, and IT accesses. In parallel, we also deployed an identity provider solution to allow seamless integration of external cloud applications with existing employee data. With these initiatives, we want to make sure that LNS employees will never have to memorise passwords again. Last but not least, we invested in a cloud-based software for daily HR operations.”
Also with regard to optimised processes, Yannick Kirschhoffer and his team reinforced the LNS’ asset management system: “We can now handle our internal assets more efficiently and track changes in the asset management interface, making it for instance much easier to handle audits during lab certification phases.”
Smooth data flow guaranteed
An example of how a smooth flow of data between patients and LNS staff can improve the quality of services can be seen in a digital innovation in the Health Protection Department, which was developed at the LNS in 2021 and will be introduced in the near future. Yannick Kirschhoffer: “We have created a digital workflow for the environmental medicine activities, which enables the patient to register online for an on-site analysis. On-site, our experts will handle data entry with the help of rugged tablets, and when back in the LNS, data will be automatically input into our analysis systems.”
Like their colleagues from other departments and services, the IT experts at the LNS also work with other players of the Luxembourg healthcare system: “Together with the Ministry of Health and private laboratories, we have worked on the secure integration of QR codes into COVID-19 testing procedures. The aim was to exclude counterfeits from the outset, which we succeeded in doing. This joint initiative also shows how inextricably linked medicine and IT are in modern healthcare – and how versatile technology can in the meantime be used to improve people’s lives.”
