Developing a digital healthcare and social care system tailored to the realities of the overseas territories
In the french overseas territories, the digital transformation of the social care sector cannot be viewed as a simple transposition of mainland models. Geographical remoteness, mobility constraints, varying levels of infrastructure, low digital maturity and the diversity of support services all necessitate an approach that is thoroughly tailored to the local context.
It is against this backdrop that OVE Caraïbes, in partnership with Evolucare, has begun rolling out the Imago DU – Evolucare electronic patient record system across its facilities and services.
This is a landmark project that illustrates the importance of a gradual, collaborative digital transformation, carefully designed to reflect the day-to-day operational realities of healthcare professionals.
Today, nearly 300 staff members use Imago on a daily basis across OVE Caraïbes’ facilities.
Behind this roll-out lies a great deal of groundwork centred on changing practices, coordinating teams and fostering the adoption of digital tools within organisations that have historically been deeply rooted in oral communication.
A strong commitment to innovation in the overseas territories
Operating in Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, OVE Caraïbes supports a particularly diverse range of people: young children, people with disabilities, those requiring home care, people with mental health and social vulnerabilities, and older people. This diversity called for a solution capable of meeting a wide range of operational needs whilst ensuring the continuity of information across the various facilities.
From the very outset, the organisation made digital technology a strategic focus for its development.
OVE Caraïbes is, in fact, one of the first organisations in the region to have responded to calls for proposals relating to digital social care sector.
Whenever there is anything to do with experimentation and digital technology, we are there to help the islands benefit from innovation.
In order to select the most suitable solution, the association drew up a particularly rigorous set of specifications incorporating more than 250 functional and organisational criteria. The aim was to have a modern, intuitive tool that was flexible enough to adapt to the diversity of its centres and support services.
“We really wanted a software solution that was customisable and suited to our various centres. Imago ticked all the boxes,” continues Alexandre Doubel.
Today, 28 centres and services run by OVE Caraïbes use the Imago solution on a daily basis.
A collaborative approach at the heart of the project
For OVE Caraïbes, the success of the project depends as much on the support provided by people as on the quality of the technological solution.
As soon as the roll-out began, a cross-functional steering committee was set up to involve all stakeholders: senior management, line managers, therapeutic teams, doctors, IT departments and educational professionals. This collaborative governance approach enabled the settings to be gradually developed in line with the realities on the ground.
« We benefited from some very valuable support from Evolucare right from the start, with plenty of dialogue, site visits and training tailored to our teams », emphasises Alexandre Doubel.
This approach to co-creation has played a key role in professionals’ gradual adoption of the tool. In organisations where levels of digital maturity can vary considerably, close support and guidance are essential factors for success.
Developing professional practices
One of the main challenges of the project concerned changing working practices.
In many organisations, handover procedures had historically relied on verbal exchanges or paper notes. The transition to a computerised user record therefore entailed a genuine cultural shift towards the formalisation of information and the traceability of care provision.
“In our culture, we rely heavily on verbal communication. Moving to a system where everything is written down and documented represents a real change,” explains Alexandre Doubel.
Today, the project has entered a phase of consolidating usage. The main areas for improvement now concern the completeness of records and the formalisation of personalised care plans.
“We are no longer dealing with issues related to the software itself. The challenges now relate more to supporting the teams and frontline management,” he adds.
Tangible benefits for staff and users
Despite the challenges encountered, the benefits are now particularly evident in organisations that have achieved a high level of usage.
The shared logbook is one of the features most appreciated by teams. Its intuitive design facilitates communication between professionals and significantly reduces the loss of information.
“When a professional returns from leave, they can immediately access essential information via the logbook. This saves a great deal of time and ensures better continuity in patient care,” explains Alexandre Doubel.
Teams have also noted a reduction in the time spent on administrative tasks and paper-based record-keeping.
“There’s a clear difference between the time previously spent searching for documents or transcribing information and the time now devoted to service users,” he continues.
Features relating to care plans are also particularly valued by professionals.
“Care assistants and doctors find that Imago’s care plans are very effective. This is something that has really made a difference.”
Imago Mobile: supporting teams right on the ground
One of the project’s next major milestones is now the roll-out of Imago Mobile.
This development directly addresses the realities on the ground. Many professionals carry out their work on a daily basis in service users’ homes or across multiple sites. Until now, some teams still had to take notes on paper before re-entering the information into the software, creating a double workload.
“The whole point of the computerised user record is precisely to avoid paper and re-entry,” points out Alexandre Doubel.
OVE Caraïbes now aims to enable professionals to enter information directly in the field, in real time, using mobile tools designed for on-the-move use.
This issue is all the more important given that certain areas of the country continue to face connectivity problems.
“We still have areas with no coverage where the internet connection is very unreliable. Being able to work even without a connection is a real challenge for our teams,” explains Alexandre Doubel.
A regional strategy for digital health
In addition to its own project, OVE Caraïbes is also involved in a wider initiative through the SI Martinique consortium.
This initiative aims to pool best practice, share lessons learnt and strengthen coordination between local stakeholders in order to accelerate the digital transformation of the medical and social care sector in the Caribbean.
“Many organisations are still lagging significantly behind in terms of digital adoption. We also want to share our experience and demonstrate the importance of support in this type of project,” explains Alexandre Doubel.
The association also aims to gradually increase its use of analytics features in order to better manage operations, monitor key indicators and support organisations as they progress towards digital maturity.
This new step confirms OVE Caraïbes’ commitment to building a pragmatic, accessible digital healthcare and social care system that is deeply connected to the realities on the ground.
OVE Caraïbes (WORKING AND LIVING TOGETHER for an inclusive society in the Caribbean) is an organisation that manages social care facilities and services in Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.
The organisation supports people facing various forms of vulnerability: disability, home care, child protection, social vulnerability, support for carers and therapeutic support.
Having been involved for several years in digital transformation projects within the medical and social care sector, OVE Caraïbes is one of the pioneers of digital health in the overseas territories.