About 600 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. One in four children still die from this disease. "That is why the Princess Máxima Centre works every day to improve the survival chances and quality of life of children with cancer", according to Nienke Beek, responsible for corporate partnerships at the Máxima Foundation. “In addition to research and treatments, hospital IT is a crucial part of this."
The Máxima is not an ordinary hospital, but rather a research hospital. The centre has great appeal to professionals all over the world; over nine hundred healthcare professionals, four hundred and fifty researchers and fourty nationalities work meticulously together to improve perspectives on cures. A tremendous amount of knowledge has been brought together in one place. The ambition is tangible and widely shared among staff as you walk around the building.
Making a big impact
Conclusion supports the Máxima Centre with financial donations and IT expertise. “I have been there several times”, says Raymond van Ek, director business change & sustainability at Conclusion Intelligence. “Very impressive how they managed to give the hospital a look and feel that is accessible and non-confrontational. When designing and furnishing the building, they really thought from a child's perspective. For example, there are parentchild rooms, where a parent's room is connected to the admission room. Moreover, the building does not feel like a hospital, but rather like a school."
On the work floor, there is a lot of focus on entrepreneurship and on developing and sharpening the working method in order to eventually take faster steps to make better analyses of illness patterns. “Data is indispensable for this", says Raymond. At the Máxima centre, almost every child takes part in one or more studies. This benefits the availability and quality of data and research material. Hot ITem Conclusion, an expert in business improvement and innovation through data and advanced technologies, helps to get the data management in order.
Quick start and an extensive knowledge base
In child cancer, it is of utmost importance to diagnose as soon as possible. One method used for this purpose is the flow cytometry technique. “By analysing cells from tumour tissue one by one, the diagnosis can be made within hours", says Bastiaan Tops, head of the paediatric oncology lab at the Máxima Centre. “By collaborating with Conclusion, we want to see how we can best unlock the data from this analysis for further research purposes. This can help improve treatments for childhood cancer. The Máxima Centre aims to make data provision an essential part of healthcare provision, which will further strengthen collaboration between doctors and researchers. In this way, Conclusion helps the mission of the Máxima Centre to cure every child with cancer, with optimal quality of life.”
This confirms Ernout Douqué, CTO at Hot ITem Conclusion. “I find it important to be able to contribute to this organisation. I also see this in my colleagues, who are all intrinsically motivated to participate in such a good cause. A collaboration of this kind creates a huge drive. How can we help create even better analyses? Or provide information to parents in the best possible way? Could AI come in handy? We really want to make a significant difference and commit to the Máxima Centre for a long time."
“We are grateful for Conclusion's commitment and support.”
Nienke Beek
Corporate partnerships at the Máxima Foundation
Talent development within the Máxima Centre
A key focus of the Máxima Centre is educating experts. An exclusive talent programme has been set up at the Máxima Centre to train the specialists of the future, and there are training programmes to follow in the area of paediatric oncology. The deployment of Conclusion's talent aligns very well with this.
Realising the mission
“We are grateful for Conclusion's commitment and support. The Foundation acquires knowledge and resources to enable research into better treatments, care innovations, data facilities and facilities at the centre,“ said Nienke. This often falls outside the general budget or the regular healthcare budget. “There are numerous ways to contribute to our mission,” Nienke continues. “To achieve our mission, the Máxima Centre depends on external support. Conclusion helps both in knowledge and in financial support. This is of utmost importance as it allows us to continue to focus on improving the chances of recovery as well as the quality of life of children with cancer."
Will you contribute to the important mission of the Máxima?
Donate now
Get in touch at foundation@prinsesmaximacentrum.nl to find out more or donate directly.
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