How can you save 2 to 3 minutes per appointment, even before the patient walks in?

That was the central question of our presentation at the Data Driven Healthcare conference last week at the Jaarbeurs Utrecht. In our presentation, we took the audience on a journey through the patient experience: what can you do if you’ve already asked a large portion of the standard questions before the consultation?

We were able to drive that point home even more thanks to the people who shared real-world examples. In a live segment, Jos Merkus, a breast surgeon at the HagaZiekenhuis, how he uses ConsultAssistent every day and how it helps him conduct better consultations. In addition, Anne Duvekot (ENT specialist, HagaZiekenhuis) and Ninke Leffers (gynecologist, Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen) shared their experiences via video, and we featured a quote from the anesthesiologists at Isala Hospital about the potential of a machine-learning ASA triage tool.

The structured way in which we collect data results in a large dataset that lends itself perfectly to more than just consultation preparation. Using three concrete data applications, we demonstrated that Consult Assistent is much more than just a questionnaire:

  • Summary
    LLMs condense hundreds of patient responses into a single, readable report integrated into the EHR. That’s where it really makes a difference: the doctor can see relevant information immediately, right where he or she is already working. The result: a time savings of 2 to 3 minutes per consultation.
  • Visualization
    Dashboards allow doctors to see at a glance how symptoms evolve over time.
  • Predicting
    Through two research projects (triage in gastroenterology and ASA classification in anesthesia), we demonstrated what is possible. Our guiding principle throughout: AI must be explainable and clinically recognizable. Not a black box.

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas, listened in, or stopped by our booth. The many insightful questions from the engaged audience led to some great conversations! And thank you to Igor Dirkx and Marie-José Smedeman for organizing the event.