CHU Brugmann Manages COVID-19 Outbreak with Qlik

Brussels – At the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the Brussels University Nursing Centre Brugmann set up a new data analytics platform from Qlik®. Using Qlik has given the hospital a real-time 360-degree view of the coronavirus situation within the various wards and facilities. This includes the number of available staff, the number of patients versus available beds, all the way through to the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE).

In mid-March, Brussels-based CHU Brugmann, like so many other hospitals around the country, did not have a clear view of what the coronavirus would bring about, but reacted quickly as the situation was unfolding. With around 500 doctors and specialists, over 1,000 nurses and 850 beds, the hospital wanted to have an overview of the availability and specific capabilities of all medical staff at all times. Prior to using Qlik, managing the location and availability data for the staff was done through heterogeneous systems, sometimes paper and sometimes digital. It was crucial for the hospital to have all the information available digitally to know which doctors could perform care procedures using specific equipment necessary to help manage the coronavirus.

In collaboration with elite Qlik partner Agilos, within five days the hospital created an analytics app to address all their requirements. Through the app, all doctors can provide their specific Covid-19 related skills, and also indicate when they are in the hospital, in which department they will be working and when their shift ends. This data is all neatly displayed in one central place, where they are merged with the badge movements of all the nursing staff.

“We responded immediately when the news about the outbreak of the virus and the start of the lockdown surfaced on 13 March. By 16 March we were able to test the new system, and two days later it was up and running, and we’ve continued to expand it even further, saving us a great deal of manual work. Without the flexibility and innovative data capabilities offered by Qlik, this process would not have been possible,” explains Marc van Treel, director of IT at CHU Brugmann.

Thanks to the rapid action of the IT department and Qlik's complete data analytics platform, the hospital now has a comprehensive view of the presence of the medical staff, in which department they are active, but also when they leave the hospital to enjoy compulsory rest at home or if they are on stand-by. The figures are refreshed every 15-minutes and no longer require manual work to pull together. At peak hours, extra staff from other departments can be called in for the triage of potential Covid-19 patients or for additional assistance in intensive care. The dashboard also allows the hospital to determine whether there are enough staff on the hospital's sites, or if extra medical staff need to be called in.

“If we have to open extra wards for Covid-19 patients or fill the intensive care unit at one of the sites, we are now prepared for this and, thanks to Qlik's real-time analysis, we know perfectly well what is coming our way and what we need to do in response. We already know that we will continue to use this system even after this crisis, but in a slightly different form. Indirectly, thanks to the hard work of our specialists, this pandemic has given our hospital a taste of the future of how we can deliver better care to our patients,” concludes Van Treel.

In addition to the attendance and availability of staff, CHU Brugmann is now able to see, by ward and department, the number of beds that are occupied and those that are available. Monthly reports are now also updated and adjusted in real time, which has led to a significant easing of the hospital's administration operations, as all data can now be processed and analyzed quickly in one central location.

“Our end-to-end platform and innovative solutions have already proven their worth in many different ways at CHU Brugmann by transforming their data into real value," says Ted Orme, Head of Data Integration Strategy EMEA for Qlik. “By democratising all the data and making it accessible, the hospital is able to provide a much higher level of service to their staff and patients.”

"The fact that we were now able to make a difference for them, especially as they deal with addressing this pandemic to serve their patients makes us very proud. It may not be the first reaction of hospitals to turn to data in a crisis situation, but CHU Brugmann have shown that this can significantly ease the burden placed on the entire hospital and indirectly save lives,” added Gilles Hocepied, Managing Director of Agilos.

About Qlik

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. Qlik provides an end-to-end, real-time data integration and analytics cloud platform to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into active intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik does business in more than 100 countries and serves over 50,000 customers around the world.

About Agilos

Agilos has the vision, the technology and the expertise to turn your data into a strategic asset. We help organizations discover compelling and actionable insights about their business to improve their performance, such as transforming operations, limiting risk, or discovering new revenue streams. Our best-of-breed portfolio includes Qlik, TimeXtender, Microsoft and several other innovative and complementary technologies. We also offer Analytic Apps for Healthcare, Accounting, HR and Sales & Marketing. Our more than 450 happy customers include AXA, CHU Bruxelles, European Commission, Honda, KBC and Umicore, but also smaller companies such as Stuv, Viangro, Eurofoil and Jost Group. Agilos has 30 employees and 2 offices in Brussels and Luxemburg. https://www.agilos.com.

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