They want to develop healthcare from within
No more piles of papers for rounds and decisions in healthcare. That is the goal of RoundBit, a company founded by two doctors who see the need to develop healthcare from within.
Rounds are a central part of work in hospital wards, especially where patients are hospitalised for long periods of time. Dendrit is a web application designed to replace the piles of papers that healthcare professionals currently use for rounds and decisions.
According to Fredrik Junerfält, one of the creators of Dendrit and co-founder of RoundBit AB, there are many advantages to switching from analogue to digital.
“You can interact with your notes in a completely different way. You can also collaborate with colleagues and take shared notes. This makes things easier and saves time, and also gives you a phenomenal overview.”
So, notes become more than just notes?
“Exactly. Our solution provides a picture of the doctor's workflow,” says Fredrik Junerfält.
Medical studies became the way in
Fredrik Junerfält graduated from the Medicine Programme at Uppsala University in June 2021. He is now doing his medical internship in Norrköping. The idea for Dendrit came about when he and fellow doctor Oscar Björnfot worked together on a surgical ward at Uppsala University Hospital. Together, they had to deal with more than 20 patients a day, which put high demands on the structure and organisation of their work.
“We quickly realised that taking notes on paper was very inefficient, and that we could collaborate in a completely different way if we took notes together,” says Fredrik Junerfält.
Said and done. By building a database of procedures linked to the ward they worked on, they also cut down on the amount of time and thinking required. That was the start of the digital tool they have now developed further, which is attracting a lot of interest in the hospital world.
“When we present it to operations managers at Swedish hospitals, they are very receptive and want to try it. People outside the hospital world, however, find it difficult to understand why our solution does not already exist,” explains Fredrik Junerfält.
Development close to end users
Fredrik Junerfält is convinced that new tools that will be introduced in clinical practice must come from within, where there is a full understanding of what is actually needed. Yet this is not generally the case, which presents challenges not only in the day-to-day work of a hospital ward, but also when you come up with something new, like Fredrik and his colleagues.
“We struggle with having been preceded by many poor-quality IT systems, as people do not want another new one that does not live up to expectations. It is also fundamentally a challenge to change established ways of working, even if they are not optimal for staff or patients,” says Fredrik Junerfält.
RoundBit is currently targeting doctors with its solution, but the company is experiencing demand to develop applications for nurses, nursing assistants and physiotherapists as well.
“We can and want to develop Dendrit so it is adapted to each individual ward. We work very closely with the customer and are, after all, the end users of our own solution,” emphasises Fredrik Junerfält. He continues:
“We use Dendrit every day in our clinical work, giving us direct feedback on the features we developed ourselves.”
This means that the process between feedback and change is short. This is also due to the company’s third team member, Gustav Genberg, a programmer with nimble fingers who transforms their thoughts and ideas into fully functioning code.
Full speed ahead
Founded in February 2021, RoundBit AB has several customers in the pipeline and pilot projects rolling out at various hospitals around the country. The weekly calendar is full of meetings with potential customers or interested investors.
UU Innovation has been involved from the idea stage, providing support with contacts and advice for several meetings.
“Through UU Innovation, we also received financial support, which has been very helpful and enabled us to move forward very quickly,” says Fredrik Junerfält.
RoundBit is now participating in business incubator UIC’s business development programme, and is receiving help to further develop the company. On 25 November, the company participated in Uppsala Innovation Day.
What is the best thing about running a business?
“For me, it has always been about developing something, and finding a like-minded person in the same profession was a stroke of luck. Starting RoundBit was a no-brainer once the business idea was in place. It also feels necessary to develop healthcare from within!”
Sara Gredemark