In 2023 AZ Klina in Brasschaat, Belgium, began implementing HiX, an advanced electronic patient record (EHR) and hospital information system. The implementation encountered several challenging obstacles due to language differences and new technical adaptations. Indeed, the entire hospital will switch to the same system in almost all departments with the aim of optimising patient care and operational efficiency.

Within the project, it quickly became clear that communication is the most important tool for successful implementation. After all, the Flemish language seems the same as Dutch, but in all areas within healthcare it became clear to us that this is nevertheless a misleading notion. Words like 'voormiddag', 'klavier', 'camionette', and 'patiëntklever' seem very understandable in theory, reality only shows otherwise. Mirte, Ivonne, Sebastiaan and Guido, the dedicated consultants of Visiar HealthCare, play a crucial role in this vast project and acknowledge that communication sometimes causes frowned eyebrows.

Together, they form a dynamic team that is focused on achieving sustainable improvements in healthcare processes by listening carefully to requirements and thinking along with them in terms of solutions. The knowledge and expertise they bring with them from other projects are not only used as tools, but by sharing this with the medical professionals and functional administrators, the knowledge actually stays in-house.

It seems that 'voormiddag', 'klavier', 'camionette', and 'patiëntklever' are no longer secret language, but simply the ingredients for a successful care recipe. So you see, with a healthy dose of humour and perseverance, even this challenge is successfully tackled.