Keeping a close eye on patients from afar

- During the coronavirus pandemic, this has been a smart way to care for patients without requiring them to attend an appointment in person. If it turns out that no follow-up is needed, they do not have to visit the doctor, says Heidi Blengsli Aabel, CEO of CheckWare.

The self-reporting solution is now used in every health region in Norway, and all healthcare trusts providing mental health and substance misuse services use the software. The core idea is to use patient-reported data to improve treatment services. The company is already established in the UK and Poland, and is initially looking to expand into Sweden.

'We need to expand beyond Norway and scale internationally. I don't think any Norwegian health technology companies will survive in the long term if Norway is their only market,' Blengsli Aabel emphasises.

- CheckWare helps achieve the UN's third Sustainable Development Goal on good health and well-being. Patients can report on their own health at the clinic or from home, avoiding unnecessary travel for appointments or stays at healthcare facilities. Clinicians can monitor patients throughout their treatment. 'This frees up resources and improves the quality of treatment,' says Hans Fredrik Emdal, customer adviser at our Trøndelag office.

The Trondheim-based company has worked with us since it was founded in 2007. The partnership began when CheckWare secured an innovation contract with a department at St. Olavs Hospital. After about a year, the founders decided to commercialise the solution. Since then, we have awarded CheckWare two further innovation contracts and loans. The company has also received advisory services from our offices in Norway and abroad and taken part in one of our global accelerator programmes in the USA.

'Having Innovation Norway with us throughout our development has been very important, particularly the combination of knowledge and funding they offer. They have helped us secure the right resources in relevant areas, which we would not have been able to do entirely on our own,' says Blengsli Aabel.

CheckWare increased its revenue from NOK 27 million in 2019 to NOK 40 million in 2020. It has also recently signed several major agreements that will drive further revenue growth and is preparing for a broader international expansion.

'Norway is very straightforward: we understand how things are organised, the operating conditions and the culture. But all of these present challenges abroad, and it takes longer and costs more than you initially expect. We take a systematic approach and need people on the ground in the countries we plan to target,' she explains.

Their software is used by hospitals, clinics and municipalities. What makes the solution unique is that patients can participate digitally using licensed, quality-assured forms. The entire workflow is integrated into the system, and the data is used to monitor and treat patients, for example through online treatment programmes. The data can show whether the treatment is effective.

'What sets us apart is the sheer number of digital distribution rights we hold for the tests and tools used to collect information from patients. We currently hold digital distribution rights for well over 1,100 different tools developed around the world,' says Blengsli Aabel.