Incision Assist, a digital tool for the OR that better prepares teams for procedures, is the fifth finalist for the National Healthcare Innovation Award. Femke van der Gaag, Managing Director Benelux at Incision, explains how good preparation with the right information leads to less stress and more efficiency in the operating room.
With more than 15 years of experience in nursing and in leadership roles of departments and outpatient clinics, Femke van der Gaag knows the ins and outs of a hospital like no other.
"When a surgical team, think operating assistants, anesthesia assistants and physicians, prepare for a procedure, procedure-specific information is collected from various portals and internal drives." A time-consuming task that Incision Assist is changing.
All information in one place
Incision Assist collects all surgical work instructions in one place. How is the patient positioned, who stands where in the OR, how is the equipment set up and what resources and materials are used?
"The standard way of working is often known, but surgeons differ in their preferences, for example a specific type of forceps or suture. That information is crucial to keeping a team working smoothly," Van der Gaag said.
Also read: Jet Bussemaker advocates flipping the healthcare system: 'Real change comes from the bottom up'
Less stress and more capacity
Structured information can facilitate this. For example, Incision Assist makes information visually available and allows team leadership to communicate with employees. "For example, when product A is not available, and is replaced by product B. In this way, we overcome countless emails, apps and information on whiteboards."
In addition to a positive impact on workflow, there are other benefits:
- 92 percent of users experience more confidence in the OR
- 90 percent of users experience less stress
- 15 percent less changeover time between two surgical procedures. This allows for one additional surgery per day per OR
- 14 percent fewer door movements in the OR
When asked what it benefits the patient, Van der Graag is clear: "A more stable and better prepared surgical team and that always benefits the patient. In addition, efficiency can mean that patients spend less time under anesthesia, which speeds recovery and reduces risks of complications."
Implementation that unburdens hospitals
The risk of implementing a new system is the resistance it creates among those who have to work with it. Van der Gaag: "We therefore spent a lot of time on the roadmap for implementation. Hospitals already have so little capacity and we just don't want to give them more work."
Incision's implementation team collects all work instructions and sets up the system for hospitals. "Setting up a new process requires attention and dedication from the organization, but once it's in place, it works like a charm. It really is a gift to the surgical team."
Incision Assist is now used in 19 hospitals in the Netherlands and Belgium, and some 60 hospitals in the United Kingdom, the United States and Egypt.
Read also: Meet the professional jury of the National Care Innovation Award 2026
Tips for other healthcare entrepreneurs
Van der Gaag emphasizes the power of a public-private partnership for the success of a healthcare innovation. "We looked for development partners who really believed in our story, our idea. You don't test that within one hospital, you do that with multiple parties. That's how you gather feedback and constantly keep validating your idea."
Learning the future
The urgency for change in healthcare is great. Incision is anticipating the future by focusing on hospital learning and interconnection. This allows for learning within hospitals, but also between hospitals.
Van der Gaag: "We do not determine what the best way of working is, but we can offer the right insights. We live in a time of huge shortages so we have to pull out all the stops to make sure we get and keep the right people in the right place."
About the National Care Innovation Award
In 2026,Zorginnovatie.nlwill award the National Healthcare Innovation Prize for the eleventh time for the most innovative healthcare innovation in the scale-up phase. Participants have a chance to win the professional jury prize worth €10,000 and the public prize worth €5,000. They will also receive guidance in the further (further) development of their innovation.
Incision Assist is in the finals of the National Healthcare Innovation Award 2026 during theHealth Valley Eventon March 12, 2026 in Nijmegen. The presentation of the national professional jury award and audience award will be duringZorg & icton April 15 at Jaarbeurs Utrecht.
