Connected care in the Lofoten Islands: Unlocking health solutions for everyone, everywhere

Dr. Skau approaches innovation in medicine and technology as a logical next step in healthcare. When he talks, his conviction about not overcomplicating medical approaches is evident. It makes you almost believe that, despite the complexity of the subject, you could have done the same thing he does if you had just thought about it a bit longer.

In his pursuit to improve medicine, Dr. Skau studied the medical care system scientifically. In 2012, he looked at the capacity issues in healthcare and found that the challenges involved will continue to grow: as Norway undergoes demographic shifts, there will be more elderly people in the future. The number of diabetes patients, as well as those suffering from cataract diseases, is also increasing significantly. At the same time, Dr. Skau found out that by the end of the decade, people would have to travel across the country for eye exams because there would be too few medical services available. In 2018, after three years of planning, which Dr. Skau also contributed to, the Norwegian Directorate of Health published new guidelines for diabetic retinopathy, a disease of the retina that occurs in advanced diabetes and leads to vision loss. These new guidelines pointed out the need for change. ”And if it takes three years to develop guidelines, it probably takes 20 years to change anything in the system itself,” Dr. Skau says now, nearly five years later.

That's why Dr. Skau took matters into his own hands. ”My motivation to simplify and improve things has been an important part of my life for many years,” he says, explaining what drives him. His key to solving the problem: technology. In his ophthalmology practice, he saw an opportunity to use technology to help people receive care where they live – because digital health technologies allow him to examine them from anywhere. But how is this possible?

One of the biggest challenges at the beginning was the secure transmission and storage of sensitive patient data. However, Dr. Skau has found solutions for this as well, emphasizing that all data is encrypted and that strict security standards are maintained, based on national standards from the Norwegian government.

Dr. Skau has documented the success of the project in a study. The result: 97 percent of all treatments could be carried out this way – and did not have to be performed on site in Bodø. To date, the system has been used on more than 2,000 people at five locations in Norway. In the future, he hopes to help more than 320,000 Norwegians with diabetes, an ambitious goal. However, Dr. Skau believes in his idea. “We have this saying, ‘Don’t leave any stone unturned.’ But in my opinion, I think it's not about turning the stones, it's more about finding the new stones,” he emphasizes while talking about the need for innovative solutions in medical care.

Cecilie Naima Kristoffersen is a skilled optical technician in one of the optical shops on the Lofoten Islands. Here, she performs on-site checks with numerous patients of Dr. Skau. She recognizes that the patients also trust the innovative system. ”They appreciate having the service closer to them. Of course, they might enjoy the personal touch of visiting their doctor in person, but the majority truly embraces this system because it’s so simple. They no longer have to take an entire day off from work just for the examination.”