The renowned support center for people affected by cancer, Kraftens Hus, is attracting interest beyond Sweden - and among new patient groups. Norwegian researchers have now initiated a collaboration with Chalmers, with the goal of creating an innovative rehabilitation model for people with a brain injury.
"We are inspired by the craftsmanship in the innovative method that the project is working with," says Cathrine Arntzen, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway.
It began with a book chapter that made a strong impression. In Tromsø, Norway, the researchers behind the RehabLos project were looking for innovative methods and novel approaches to support people with a brain injury. In their search, they came across a book on service design*, which described the design and creation of a patient-led cancer support center, Kraftens Hus.
"For us, it was very valuable to discover a similar project that matched so well with how we had thought and reasoned, and at the same time was several years ahead of us - and had actually managed to create something in reality. It gave us confirmation that service design was a suitable methodology for our project as well. That a similar project was described in terms of social innovation and action research* was particularly exciting," says Lina Forslund at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø.
Together with her colleagues, she sought contact with Andreas Hellström and Patrik Alexandersson at the Centre for Healthcare Improvement (CHI) at Chalmers, who have played an important role in the development of Kraftens Hus. This was the start of a fruitful exchange, which has provided inspiration and important guidance for the Norwegian project - but has also given CHI the opportunity for reflections and insights into its work.
Different patient groups – same challenges
Nearly two years after the first contact, the Norwegian project group is on a study visit to Chalmers and Kraftens hus. In a conference room at the Chalmersska huset, Cathrine Arntzen, professor, Marianne Eliassen, researcher, and doctoral students Lina Forslund and Morten Nikolaisen talk about their reflections.
"The same needs and challenges exist in our group, even though it's different patient groups. It's about people who need to get back to their family, work, and life. It's reassuring to see how well the Kraftens hus project has dealt with these challenges. It tells us that we can also succeed," says Morten Nikolaisen.
Marianne Eliassen adds.
"We have a clear idea: How can we develop services and provide support to brain-damaged individuals in their new life situation? There is a gap today, and we want to work on it. We hope to learn to work in new ways and that this can benefit our entire region."
A new model in the welfare system
Kraftens hus has paved the way for a new model in Swedish welfare where patients and relatives are involved in improving support for those affected by cancer. An important idea is to combine society's resources in new ways and bridge the gap that can arise at the border between healthcare and other societal functions.
Andreas Hellström notes that a severe illness changes life on many levels, both for the patient and their relatives. While the illness is the responsibility of healthcare, the life event and the path to a new normality are a welfare issue where several parties in society are involved.
"We see that the organization that exists today does not take care of the patients well during this journey. That requires new ways of thinking. In addition, we are addressing a group that does not always have a strong voice. Therefore, strategic innovation is needed to find ways to involve those affected democratically," he says.
Creating knowledge with those affected
Collaboration and the ambition to bring together different societal resources are also the focus of the Norwegian project. The Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration, the Employment Agency, and the municipality are examples of some stakeholders who have been involved – roughly the same societal actors as in the Kraftens hus project.
"It is crucial to find good methods for collaborating across several sectors and to see users as a resource. It is an exciting way of working that is new to us in many ways," says Cathrine Arntzen.
"Yes, the user perspective is central. As researchers, we are encouraged to become more involved in socially relevant problem-solving and create knowledge with those affected and who have their own experiences. But how to work with that type of research is still an immature field where CHI and Chalmers were early and have come a long way," says Lina Forslund.
The group's overall goal is to create a digitally supported rehabilitation model for people with brain injury. The plan is also to create a physical place, a resource and competence center, and in this work, the group has taken much inspiration from Kraftens hus in Borås which they recently visited.
"There was a very open and lovely atmosphere there, and it was fantastic to see how engaged users were in the operation," says Marianne Eliassen.
"Both the users and professionals we have a dialogue with talk about the importance of meeting, and they specifically ask for a place to gather," says Lina Forslund.
Collaboration with many values
Andreas Hellström and Patrik Alexandersson are pleased that the work on Kraftens Hus has been able to contribute to more innovative development projects in healthcare.
"If this works well for you, it can surely work well for many others, both within and outside of Sweden. I actually believe that it can be easier to learn from examples that are not as close, which can make it easier to find a distance to why the explanatory models at home are not working as well," says Patrik Alexandersson.
"For our part, we have learned a lot from how our Norwegian colleagues view what we are doing. Our innovation journey with Kraftens hus will continue, and I think this collaboration is a great example of how good examples can spread," says Andreas Hellström.
* Service design is a way to create innovation and develop user-friendly and competitive services. Service design involves taking a holistic perspective, aiming to create an understanding of the user as well as the organization and its employees. Co-creation is an important factor for successful service design.
** Action research involves collaboration between researchers and practitioners and is conducted without attempting to distance or separate oneself from the activity that is the subject of the research. The purpose of action research is to have a direct and immediate impact on the research area and to solve problems in organizations or workplaces, for example.
About Kraftens hus
Kraftens hus is a support center and meeting place for community that can provide strength and support to everyone affected by cancer, mainly patients and their relatives. The operation is based on collaboration with healthcare, authorities, civil society, business, and other organizations around those affected by cancer. Kraftens hus started in Borås in 2018 and will also start in Gothenburg and Stockholm during 2023. The Centre for Healthcare Improvement at Chalmers has been involved in the development of Kraftens hus since its beginning and leads the scientific part of the work. Read more
About the Norwegian project RehabLos
The goal of the research project RehabLos is to develop an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and digitally supported rehabilitation model that strengthens self-mobilization and social inclusion for adults who have suffered brain injury. Read more
The book about service design, in which Andreas Hellström has written a chapter about Kraftens Hus, is called "Tjänstedesign - principer och praktiker", and is written by Stefan Holmlid and Katarina Wetter-Edman. Read more
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