Studio-as-a-Service at St. Antonius Hospital

Patients can now access many services online that previously required a hospital visit. Technological capabilities are advancing rapidly, and St. Antonius Hospital is making full use of them. Well before the Covid period, specialists and healthcare providers already used video conferencing extensively for consultations before the Covid period.

Recently, the hospital took a new step in the professional use of video. St. Antonius Hospital built a professional in-house studio at its Utrecht site. This is already common practice in the business world, but not yet in hospitals.

A further step towards professionalism

Wenny Braam, Head of Facilities and Property: “During the Covid period, there was a growing need to offer information sessions for patients and staff online, for example. We therefore equipped a number of existing presentation rooms with camera and recording facilities. After the pandemic, teams quickly recognised the need to improve the quality of these broadcasts. The technical facilities were also inadequate, such as the camera setup and lighting. As a result, we decided to create our own studio. We first broadcast from an AVEX studio before launching our own facility. That was very well received.”

“Together with our Marketing and Communications team, we began to explore the options further. Our aim was to take our communications to the next level and produce more professional recordings and broadcasts. The right setting and atmosphere ensure that the information comes across much more effectively.”

“We chose this in-house studio solution because of the professionalism, that extra touch.” Wenny Braam Head of Facilities and Property at St Antonius Hospital

Flexible and multifunctional

Together with AVEX, we further developed the requirements. Wenny Braam: “We wanted a space that users could adapt quickly and flexibly. In our studio, we can now easily switch from a formal talk show setting to a desk setting for, say, instructional videos for patients. And we can create an informal living-room setting just as quickly.”

The applications are very diverse. As well as information sessions, teams also record instructional and educational videos about medical conditions and treatments. The studio is also used by specialists giving lectures during symposia abroad. They take their seats in the studio, where all the technical arrangements are taken care of, allowing them to focus entirely on delivering their message.

“We’re also seeing applications we hadn’t thought of beforehand. Such as the specialist who records their redundancy interview once and makes it available via a QR code.” Thijs Koenraadt Systems Administrator at St Antonius Hospital

Thijs Koenraadt, Functional Manager at St. Antonius Hospital: “We enjoy thinking creatively alongside our studio users to produce high-quality broadcasts. What atmosphere and what content do you want to share? We’re also seeing applications we hadn’t thought of beforehand. For example, we produced a video of a discharge consultation with a doctor in an informal setting, sitting on a bed. Patients can access this video at any time through a QR code. This often means the patient can go home a few hours earlier, equipped with the correct information. There is an increasing demand for new applications. It’ll also soon be possible to produce podcasts from the studio.”

As-a-Service concept

“During discussions with AVEX, it quickly became clear that the Studio-as-a-Service concept provided the flexibility in technology and support that we were looking for. Technical developments are particularly rapid in the studio sector, and needs are constantly changing. The as-a-service model allows us to adjust the system without replacing existing investments. This provides flexibility, whilst also offering benefits in terms of continuity. AVEX provides a flexible pool of technicians who can be deployed immediately in our studio whenever necessary. This ensures continuity in terms of both the technical equipment and the staff. A professional studio such as this must be available for use at any time of the day.”

Thijs Koenraadt: “The studio users’ experience has been very positive. In principle, in simple mode, a studio user can start recording one or two people themselves at the touch of a button. But we soon moved beyond simply making basic recordings. We’ve chosen to guide the users. We always conduct an initial consultation to ensure that all requirements and possibilities are thoroughly discussed. For example, how we can create interaction with the audience and allow participants to ask questions. This can also be done anonymously, as this is sometimes more accessible and comfortable for patients.”

“Depending on the complexity of the recordings, we carry them out either with our own team or in collaboration with AVEX. More complex programmes are handled by the AVEX team.” Thijs Koenraadt Systems Administrator at St Antonius Hospital

The added value of the studio within the hospital is already surprisingly significant. Wenny and Thijs are proud of what the studio has already achieved six months after it opened. It provides excellent additional support for communication with our own staff, our healthcare partners and our patients.