Hackathon aims to improve care for patients with multiple conditions – results will be presented at Vitalis

In late March 2025, a unique hackathon featuring Sweden’s leading healthcare IT providers will take place.
– We’re optimistic that this will be a significant step forward, says Monica Winge from Health Data Sweden. The results of this hackathon will be presented two months later at Vitalis.

It’s well-known that patients with multiple chronic conditions often slip through the cracks in Sweden’s healthcare system. Coordinating the necessary care and taking overall responsibility for these patients has proven to be a daunting challenge.
– One of the key issues is that we’ve built a system that works in silos, leaving patients to fall between the gaps, says Monica Winge, a nurse and PhD in computer systems at Stockholm University. She is also a senior advisor to Health Data Sweden, a digital innovation hub funded by the EU, which is now organizing a hackathon. The goal is to develop solutions for coordinated care across organizational boundaries for patients with multiple illnesses.

The importance of in-person collaboration

Developers and programmers from around 20 leading providers of medical record systems and other digital healthcare solutions, alongside smaller, innovative medtech companies, will participate. An initial workshop will be held on November 19, followed by a second on January 21. The hackathon itself will take place at Stockholm University’s Kista campus over three days, from March 18 to 20, 2025, where all participants will gather in person.
– These in-person meetings are essential – that’s where the real progress happens, says Monica Winge, reflecting on her experience with two previous hackathons in 2019 and 2020.
– We saw some fantastic outcomes back then. In just 24 hours, the participating companies were able to solve problems they had been struggling with on their own for years. Many of those solutions are still in use today.

Putting competition aside

At first glance, it may seem unusual for major IT companies to collaborate in this way, but Monica explains that they share a common interest.
– When I attended Vitalis this year, I heard from many healthcare leaders that nothing was happening at a national level. They all said, ‘We need to see real action!’
– Since we achieved such great results at the last hackathon, I proposed organizing another, and everyone was on board. Sure, some had concerns about sharing trade secrets, but in the end, they agreed that the benefits far outweighed the risks.

The companies that participated in the last hackathon reported several benefits, including enhanced knowledge, the development of new business models, and valuable networking opportunities.

Live implementation of models

The March hackathon will focus on developing and testing coordinated care models, conceptual frameworks, and standards to boost interoperability – a significant challenge in the healthcare sector. One of the key outcomes will be a shared conceptual model for transferring information between electronic medical record systems and consultation platforms, which will be implemented live.
– Swedish companies usually build solutions for specific regions or municipalities. What we’re doing now is enabling a solution based on international standards, using OpenEHR and HL7 FHIR platforms, Monica explains. During the hackathon, experts in healthcare, standardization, and representatives from agencies like the National Board of Health and Welfare, along with patient organizations, will be on hand to offer guidance.
– The goal is for developers to have access to these experts whenever they need to ask questions.

The time is now

The results of the hackathon will be presented two months later at Vitalis, the largest eHealth event in Scandinavia, which takes place from May 19 to 22 at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg.
– Our aim is to showcase solutions that will significantly improve care for patients with multiple chronic conditions, says Monica. She’s not convinced that individual companies could tackle these challenges on their own.
– No, we’ve been waiting 25 years, but nothing seems to happen, she reflects.
– The difference with a hackathon is that it fosters both the will and the capacity to act. We’re seeing a lot of interest from both Swedish and Nordic companies, and there’s a growing realization that this is something we need to do together.

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