Thursday, September 17, 2026
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Maternity care is facing challenges. Demand can peak unexpectedly, staff are scarce and healthcare organisations do not always have insight into each other’s capacity. In the Maternity Care project, partners across the Delft-Rotterdam region are therefore working together on digitally supported solutions that extend across healthcare pathways and organisations: a plan for managing peak demand, capacity dashboards and a shared patient record.
In an interview series on the Campus Rotterdam program page, various stakeholders discuss what is needed to make this work and why collaboration is so important. Among them are researchers Julian Houwen and Brechtje Krijvenaar (TU Delft), who are affiliated with the Medical Delta Program 'Edison - integrated care pathways'. This interview was previously published on TUdelft.nl/campus-rotterdam
What challenges do you see in maternity care across the region?
Julian Houwen: “The Rotterdam-Delft region has a complex healthcare landscape. Hospitals, midwifery practices, maternity care organisations and regional partnerships all operate from their own perspectives, responsibilities and systems. At the same time, they are highly dependent on one another in day-to-day practice. That does not always make collaboration straightforward, especially when peak demand puts additional pressure on the system and information exchange between healthcare systems remains fragmented. There is a clear need to organise this differently and improve the way partners work together.”
Brechtje Krijvenaar: “The use of digital solutions also varies considerably across maternity care. Some hospitals are already working extensively with dashboards, data-driven insights and new technologies, while other organisations are still at an earlier stage. They recognise the potential, but are still exploring how digital tools can create real value in practice.”
How did you approach the project?
Julian Houwen: “We started with one central question: how can we create a shared understanding of both the problem and possible solutions? From the outset, we brought all the disciplines involved to the table as equal partners. Doctors, nurses, midwives and maternity care professionals mapped out together where problems arise and where they saw opportunities for improvement.
By temporarily stepping away from existing structures, we created space for new conversations and shared approaches. This process ultimately resulted in three concrete interventions that we are now implementing: a plan for managing peak demand, a capacity dashboard and a shared patient record.”
Brechtje Krijvenaar: “The plan for managing peak demand helps establish shared ways of working, so organisations can respond more quickly and effectively during busy periods. Partners agree on how to coordinate capacity, how data is recorded and who is responsible for what. We have also developed two dashboards. One provides real-time insight into available capacity, while the other shows expected demand from pregnant women. The shared patient record focuses on improving and further automating data exchange between healthcare professionals. The aim is to reduce the administrative burden and make sure relevant information is available to professionals when they need it. We build on existing developments, such as HINQ’s data infrastructure, known from the BLINKZ viewer, the successor to Babyconnect, and the National Platform for Healthcare Coordination (LPZ) dashboard developed by the National Network for Acute Care (LNAZ). This allows us to make the care process simpler, safer and more efficient.”
Julian Houwen and Brechtje Krijvenaar are involved in this project as PhD researchers at TU Delft’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) and as researchers within the Medical Delta Program ‘Edison - integrated care pathways’. Their research explores how maternity care can be transformed and what role design can play in that process. Drawing on their work on innovation, collaboration and system change in healthcare, they share their experiences and insights into how technology and design can contribute to future-proof maternity care.
What is the biggest challenge in this project?
Julian Houwen: “The biggest challenge is not necessarily the technology itself, but the complexity of the human system around it. You are constantly navigating different interests, partnership structures and professional relationships. That takes time, trust and careful coordination. At the same time, that is also where the strength of the project lies. When partners gain a better understanding of each other and identify shared opportunities, it creates momentum for real change. A real ‘coalition of the willing’ has emerged: people who want to make this work, trust the direction we are taking and bring creative ideas to the table.”
Technology needs to fit into existing workflows and help reduce current bottlenecks
Brechtje Krijvenaar: “Given the enormous pressure on healthcare, the first challenge was simply getting everyone around the table. At the same time, these are all professionals with a great deal of passion for what they do. Once the partners were at the table, they genuinely wanted to make progress. The biggest challenge now is to show that the solutions are feasible and work in practice. Healthcare professionals are not waiting for another stand-alone app or an additional administrative layer. Technology needs to fit into existing workflows and help reduce current bottlenecks. Healthcare professionals need to experience that the solutions support their work, are practical to use and are worth the effort.”
What makes this project unique to you?
Julian Houwen: “This project shows that system change becomes possible when top-down urgency and bottom-up design come together. There is a clear regional need to organise maternity care differently, but the solutions are not being imposed from above. Healthcare professionals are actively involved as equal partners, which helps create ownership across the region. Data and visualisations also play an important role. They help create a shared picture of capacity, collaboration and decision-making. The strength of this project therefore lies not only in the digital solutions, but in the combination of design, healthcare, policy and implementation.”
Brechtje Krijvenaar: “What makes this project unique is that we look at the same challenge from different perspectives. Healthcare professionals are involved, the health insurer recognises the need for change and there is enough trust to take steps together. RIGA is helping to develop the solutions, hospitals are at the table, as are cooperatives, midwifery practices and maternity care organisations. Everyone approaches the challenge from their own perspective, but there is a shared willingness to make it work together. That creates a unique opportunity to organise healthcare innovation at regional level. And thanks to HINQ, we have access to a data infrastructure that covers the whole of the Netherlands, which means there is also potential to scale these solutions nationally.”
What is your main takeaway from this project when it comes to developing interventions that make a real impact?
Julian Houwen: “For technology to add real value, you need to start with the people who will actually use it. In design-driven research, the expertise of users is central.
At the same time, you need a thorough understanding of how the healthcare system works, including the dynamics, responsibilities and hierarchies between different organisations. That is why we did not focus only on what is technically possible, but first asked: ‘What do healthcare professionals need to do their work better?’
We also placed strong emphasis on building mutual understanding and making different interests, dependencies and shared goals visible. These are important conditions for ensuring that technology fits into day-to-day practice and can genuinely contribute to change.”
Brechtje Krijvenaar: “For me, the strength of this project lies in its close connection to practice. We did not decide from the outside what healthcare professionals needed. Instead, we observed, interviewed and worked alongside the people we are developing these solutions for. I carried out observations at Franciscus, Reinier de Graaf, Sophia Birth Centre and within midwifery care, during day shifts and in everyday clinical practice. That practical knowledge was essential for making the technology meaningful. We continuously tested our ideas with healthcare professionals and with our domain expert, Anne de Jong from RIGA and health insurer DSW. This helped us identify what is already feasible, where existing technology can be used and what we can work towards in the longer term. It also helps that HINQ is now involved as a technical partner, contributing to the development and implementation of the digital solutions.”
The Maternity Care project is a collaboration between the following partners (in alphabetical order): Cover, DSW, Franciscus, Geboorteketen, HINQ, KSV Kraamschakel, KSV Rijnmond, LNAZ, Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis, RIGA, ROAZ West, ROAZ Zuidwest, TU Delft, Verve, VSV Franciscus and VSV Reinier. TU Delft is involved through the Edison - Integrated Health Pathways programme, which is carried out in part within Medical Delta.
Photo's: Marketiek door Marit Hazebroek
