Intended for U.S. Audience

Drive-in learning draws a crowd in Denmark

July 05, 2020

About 250 post-surgery melanoma patients and their families spent a recent afternoon in Denmark at the drive-in – but they weren’t there to see the latest movie release.

Instead they were learning important information about their disease and what steps to take following their procedure to help prevent a recurrence.

A drive-in patient school was a successful way to bring together more than 250 melanoma patients and their families to learn important information about the disease. (Photo by Tonny Foghmar)

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Aarhus University Hospital, located in the city it is named after, held a “patient school” for patients diagnosed with stage 1 – 3 melanoma who had undergone surgery.

However, the hospital canceled its in-person classes due to the virus and patients had lost the opportunity to attend live training sessions led by physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers about topics such as the ABCs of melanoma, the need to self-examine their skin to detect a potential relapse of the disease and the importance of sun protection.

Driving an innovative solution

The company’s Danish melanoma team, led by Leis Ravn, learned about the situation and quickly engaged with key physicians at the hospital. “We wanted to help them create a new and different way to convey this information to their patients without coming in to direct contact with them,” she said.

Speakers at the drive-in patient school, all from Aarhus University Hospital, included (from left): Lars Stolle, chief physician, Plastic and Breast Surgery, who served as emcee; Emir Hasan Begogic, staff specialist, Skin and Venereal Disease; Henrik Lorentsen, chief physician, Skin and Venereal Disease, and Anne Sophie Koch Sorensen, clinical coordinator and a nurse in Plastic and Breast Surgery. (Photo by Tonny Foghmar)

The BMS team and physicians at the hospital collaborated and together, they came up with the innovative idea of a “drive-in school” that could accommodate a large number of patients while following social distancing guidelines. They reached out to the local municipality for approval to use a large parking space in the center of the city that would be transformed into a drive-in, complete with a stage and large screen.

Working for patients

The response to the program was overwhelmingly positive. Just as if they were heading to the movies, carloads of patients and their families drove in and tuned their car radios to a designated station. As live presentations were broadcast over the radio, they also saw the event unfold on the screen. It followed a talk-show format, with a surgeon from the hospital serving as emcee.

“This was a first for all of us, and a very captivating way to convey information,” said Ravn. The event was so unique, in fact, that it received prime time coverage on national television.

“Even though they were unable to meet face to face with each other and the presenters, patients and their families were very pleased with the drive-in ‘school.’ It was a rewarding moment for all of us on the team when we saw so many of the patients we work for each and every day attend the event,” Ravn added.

Said Anders Thelborg, general manager, Denmark, “We were pleased to see this drive-in concept very successfully and effectively engage with large numbers of patients.”

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