Everyone knows it by now: the pressure on healthcare professionals is skyrocketing. One of the consequences is an increase in the number of medication errors. Gaston Medical‘s smart software helps healthcare professionals make fast, well-considered decisions about treatment and medication. Thanks in part to recent funding from the regional development company for Limburg (LIOF), they are doing just that at an increasing number of hospitals and primary care pharmacists in the Netherlands. We spoke with the company’s CTO and CEO: Paul de Clercq and Jody Martens.
The numbers don’t lie. Research shows that 5.6% of all patients experience unintentional harm during a hospital visit. Most errors occur during the prescription and administration of medication.
Given the vast amount of information and reports that healthcare professionals are inundated with, errors are not surprising. Report fatigue, also known as ‘alert fatigue‘, is a widespread problem in hospitals. Moreover, healthcare providers are increasingly faced with many guidelines and standards, making the situation even more challenging.
Only relevant alerts
In a jungle of information, Gaston Medical, a spin-off of Eindhoven University of Technology from entrepreneurial couple Martens and De Clercq, is the spider in the web. Martens: “Our software continuously monitors patient characteristics and medication, lab results, and patient diagnoses. If there is a deviation, and thus a ‘twitch in the web,’ we automatically send a signal to the pharmacists and doctors in the hospital. This is the case, for example, when a drug is not properly dosed, or if a potentially dangerous interaction is signaled based on a patient’s recent liver values.”
Gaston, as the software is called, differs from regular systems in that it relays only truly relevant alerts. “Without Gaston, hospitals sometimes receive as many as 400 notifications daily, 90% of which are unnecessary. We filter that noise, allowing pharmacists and physicians to focus on what really matters.” The software can be interfaced with all common ICT systems in the hospital world. Leading institutions such as Maastricht UMC+, Catharina Hospital, and Leiden University Medical Center already use it.
Funding LIOF
Recently, the scaleup received financing from LIOF from the LIOF Participation fund. This is a fund for newly started, innovative SMEs who want to grow, and medium to large entrepreneurs who want to grow or are thinking of an acquisition, business succession, or turnaround. The investment enables further expansion and professionalization. “Thanks to this support, we have increased our development capacity and expanded the sales force,” Martens said.
Amazing results
The results of using Gaston are astounding. At St. Jansdal Hospital, for example, the use of the software results in a drop of no less than 86% in the number of unnecessary reports. This saves a hospital pharmacist with responsibility for 340 beds and 18,500 admissions per year at least one hour per day. The improvement thus not only saves considerable time but also reduces the workload. In addition, fewer mistakes are made, which benefits the quality of care.
Martens: “Hospital pharmacists should not be constantly occupied with dealing with administrative reports. After all, it is not the focus of their work. Thanks to our software, they can complete their tasks much smarter and faster, leaving more time for patient care. It makes me proud to see that we are actually making an impact.”
‘Drag-and-drop’ system
The company’s success is largely due to the software’s unparalleled user-friendliness, De Clercq explains. “We wanted to build a system that allowed healthcare providers to set up and automate healthcare processes instantly, without the need for technical knowledge. With Gaston, users can easily drag and drop cubes to create or modify their workflows. This intuitive drag-and-drop system makes it possible for pharmacists and physicians to quickly respond to changes without the need for an IT specialist.”
In addition, what makes Gaston special is the application of artificial intelligence. De Clercq: “Smart algorithms analyze patient and medication data and provide suggestions for medication monitoring improvements.
Hospitals exchange information
Also, the company wants to start interconnecting hospitals through an AI exchange platform. “Through this umbrella system, hospitals can safely and efficiently exchange data with each other,” says De Clercq. “This will allow them to jointly perform even smarter analyses on larger data sets.” This is useful for conducting scientific research, building large AI models, or preparing reports for hospitals.
The Gaston AI platform requests only the data that is also necessary. If desired, the data can first be processed within the hospital. The data is not stored in a central location but remains within the walls of the hospital. Also, the data is available in real-time and therefore up-to-date. By pooling the knowledge of healthcare institutions, Gaston not only supports on an individual level but also drives innovation within the healthcare sector on a national level.
Bright future
Gaston Medical’s future looks bright. By now, 17 hospitals in the Netherlands are using the software. In addition to the solution for pharmacists, Gaston has also started a similar, smart solution for hospital laboratories, for example, to automate lab orders or generate automated diagnostic recommendations for specialists and general practitioners. By now, a number of laboratories are already using the software.
“We hope to serve many more hospitals and laboratories in the coming years. Thanks to LIOF, we are now ready to conquer the national market,” concludes Martens.
Collaboration
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