ISCREEN SPEAKS AT BERNHOVEN SYMPOSIUM
16 April 2019
Alex Tegenbosch and Bart Brouwers spoke on behalf of iScreen at the Bernhoven Symposium on April 16th. The symposium revolved around the theme 'Perspective' and was held to commemorate the departure of Prof. Dr. Felix de Jong. De Jong was an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. Additionally, he was affiliated with Radboud University Medical Center as a researcher and currently works at the Catholic University of Leuven.
The symposium was attended by 200 invited guests from various sectors of society. Alex Tegenbosch and Bart Brouwers shed light on the theme from a psychological perspective. "The theme aligns well with iScreen's concept of Personal Agency," Tegenbosch explains. "This concept inherently involves being willing to choose your own answers: you must want to find your own path in life. Furthermore, it's important to be aware that you are making a choice. To consciously seek out your own path and be mindful of the freedom you have to make choices."
Experience
"This idea resonates well with how I approach my patients as a physician," De Jong explains. "The patient's experience and opinion are becoming increasingly important in charting the course of treatment. And rightfully so. When we talk about improving people's lives, it's largely up to the patient to determine what 'better' means. Whether it's 'better than it was' or 'better than it is now'."
"A similar shift is happening in the business world," says Tegenbosch. "The individual is taking a more central role, assuming more responsibility. Simultaneously, organizations are becoming flatter, less hierarchical. It used to be completely different. Back then, the norm was to do what your supervisor told you. The organization's leadership held the reins and supposedly knew best how to get from A to B."
Shifting Dynamics
"As the power dynamic between employee and employer becomes more balanced, the same is happening in the doctor-patient relationship," De Jong states. "I once had a patient, an elderly man with vocal cord paralysis. He could only whisper, and it took so much energy that he was exhausted all day."
"I initially wanted to try helping him with speech therapy," De Jong continues. "If that didn't work, I would propose surgery. Three months later, the man came back to me, and there was no change physically – the vocal cord paralysis was the same, and he could still only whisper. But the man had learned to live with it. He was no longer fatigued and didn't want surgery anymore, even though it could improve his voice. In this case, the patient determined what was better. As a physician, I had to accept that."
Awareness
"So, the patient is essentially applying a piece of Personal Agency," says Alex Tegenbosch. "He is very aware of his choice. He's conscious of all the possibilities and makes his own plan accordingly. He possesses a good amount of self-awareness and knows what he wants in life. Therefore, he's willing to accept the less pleasant consequences of his choice. In this example, you can see three out of the four elements of Personal Agency: Choosing, Willing, and Responding."
Duo Presentation
"I wanted to convey this principle to the audience," Tegenbosch continues. "To do this as effectively as possible, I asked Bart Brouwers to help. Bart took on the role of a patient to allow the audience to empathize with someone who ends up in healthcare out of necessity. While Bart portrayed how someone experiences this, I provided theoretical underpinnings."
The approach was well-received by the audience, says Felix de Jong: "Bart injected some joviality into the presentation. That gave Alex the space to deliver the theoretical story. This combination worked well. The audience was captivated by the narrative. Even after the symposium, during the reception, I heard nothing but positive feedback.
Perspective and iScreen
For Alex Tegenbosch and Bart Brouwers, the symposium was also a great opportunity to introduce the attendees to iScreen's services. "The symposium provided a platform to explain what we do at iScreen regarding the theme of perspective," says Alex Tegenbosch.
"We wanted to emphasize the role perspective plays in our service, particularly in the case of Personal Agency. I believe we succeeded in conveying that. But it's good to hear that the presentation was also well-received from the perspective of the other guests," Tegenbosch concludes with a wink.