We’ve partnered with Coxa since 2016 to improve patient care with cutting-edge technology. The work we’ve achieved in close cooperation with Coxa showcases the very best of our ways of working.
In this blog post, we sit down with Hanna Ylä-Jussila, Software Designer, Mikko Huotari, Senior UX Designer, and Jarno Peltoniemi, Data Architect, Healthcare Domain, to discuss our latest project as an example of the pioneering collaboration we’ve long established with Coxa. The result? Technology that’s made not only with the end users in mind, but also in partnership with the end users.
Let’s dig into how we do it, and the benefits it brings for everyone involved.
A united front between data and development
Jarno, who has worked with Coxa for 5 years, says that a large part of job satisfaction at Solita comes from getting to build meaningful solutions and making a positive impact in healthcare.
But how do we improve patient care?
Our latest project with them was to overhaul a system used throughout the patient care pathway. The system, Core (Coxa registry), is used for three major functions:
- To document clinical examination preceding an operation and book an initial operating date
- To record the surgery being performed and
- To manage the recurring follow-up of patients.
The data can be used later for scientific research and to measure the effectiveness of the surgery.
The system’s key aim was to eliminate double data entry and report the operation details to the THL (the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare).
We’ve had a data team working with Coxa to provide cutting-edge data solutions for almost a decade. But this project was different due to the daily close collaboration of data engineering, software development and design.
“The data was in a central role in this project from the start. Data insights guided the design and the development daily”, Jarno says. This meant working together on a daily basis, iterating together and gathering feedback from the end users.
“It’s one of the ways working at Solita is different,” Mikko explains. “It’s all about joint decision-making. Design is in my job title, but we make final design and decisions as a team. We don’t have to stay strictly within our discipline, and this challenges us, which is ultimately better for the client.”
Close demoing with end users
Our cross-disciplinary approach is critical when working on a project like this. But it’s also crucial to work as collaboratively as possible with our customers, too.
Every day, the project team met with the product owner for at least 15 minutes in the morning. “She was not only a day-to-day product owner, but also had a clinical background that was essential for us to get the system right through a fast feedback loop,” Mikko says.
The Core system is one of Coxa’s most important projects. The previous system was too clunky and full of complexity, and so challenging that working out what Core might look like and how it should work was in no way simple.
“The great thing about the way we work is that there is room for us to challenge the requirements,” explains Hanna. “With the data we have, we can surface irregularities and change our plans when needed.”
In order to make these changes, collaborating with the right people is essential. With the Core project, we regularly have access to the surgeons, operating room nurses and customer service agents who will actually be using the system. “We work closely with them to demo the system and surface any issues or gaps. Having access to the end-users means we can create a system with real value. It’s not created in a vacuum.”
