Time for Connection

The Time for Connection programme is being carried out by the NFU, together with the NVZ (Dutch Hospitals Association), V&VN (Verpleegkundigen & Verzorgenden Nederland; nurses and carers organisation), Federation of Medical Specialists, ZKN (Independent Clinics Netherlands) and the Patients’ Federation. It is being commissioned and subsidised by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).

Time for Connection stimulates the formation of connections between healthcare professionals, institutions for medical specialist care and patients. They can learn from each other and innovate and improve together. It is striking that this is happening from a bottom-up approach. The mutual goal is to reduce the care-related damage even further.

What are the themes?

In Time for Connection, everyone is working on patient safety, paying specific attention to the themes:

• Anti-coagulant care;

• Vulnerable elderly patients in the hospital/independent clinics;

• Vultidisciplinary consultation between healthcare professionals and with the patient; 

• Safety II and safety ergonomics. Safety awareness is now combined with Safety II. Research is being done into this with a programme organised by ZonMW.

Mark Kramer, board member of Amsterdam UMC and member of the Time for Connection steering group on behalf of the NFU: “Hippocrates defined with his Nil nocere (‘Do no harm’) the most important principle of medicine. Patient safety is a cornerstone for all umcs. That is why we are participating in Time for Connection.”