St. Erik Eye Hospital and King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital strengthen ties for research and innovation

The visit included presentations, roundtable discussions and tours of selected units at St. Erik Eye Hospital. Discussions focused on how care, research, education and innovation can be developed together, and on identifying areas where the two specialist eye hospitals can complement each other.

Sten Kjellström, CEO of St. Erik Eye Hospital, welcomed the delegation and highlighted the value of international collaboration and knowledge exchange within the WAEH network.

“The visit demonstrated the strong potential for closer collaboration between our hospitals, particularly in research, AI and knowledge exchange. Our next step is to identify a small number of concrete areas where we can create real value together – for example through joint research projects and exchanges of specialists and doctors in training – and develop these into a shared plan with KKESH&RC,” said Sten Kjellström.

Dr Abdulaziz AlRajhi, CEO of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Research Center, emphasized the opportunities created by bringing together the expertise and experience of the two hospitals.

“Both our hospitals share a strong commitment to advancing eye care through clinical excellence, research, education and innovation. By connecting our expertise and learning from each other, we have an opportunity to develop meaningful collaborations that can contribute to better care for our patients and to the future development of ophthalmology,” said Dr Abdulaziz AlRajhi.

Research, AI and professional exchange

One of the main topics during the visit was research collaboration, with particular interest in artificial intelligence and its potential applications in ophthalmology.

Representatives from both hospitals discussed opportunities to develop joint research initiatives where complementary clinical expertise, research environments and patient populations could strengthen both ongoing and future studies.

The discussions also covered opportunities for professional exchange between the hospitals, including specialists and doctors in specialist training. Spending time in another healthcare system can provide valuable insight into different clinical approaches, organizational models and ways of working, while also supporting professional development and the exchange of good practice.

Patient experience high on the agenda

Patient experience was another important theme during the visit. Both hospitals are involved in WAEH initiatives aimed at improving the patient journey in eye care.

During the discussions, KKESH&RC invited St. Erik Eye Hospital to participate in an ongoing working group focused on patient experience. The collaboration could provide an opportunity to share methods and experience in measuring and improving patient-reported experience and to learn from different approaches to patient-centered care.

The visit is part of St. Erik Eye Hospital’s ongoing work to strengthen international partnerships and collaboration with leading eye hospitals worldwide.

The dialogue between St. Erik Eye Hospital and KKESH&RC will now continue with the aim of identifying a limited number of concrete initiatives in research, education, professional exchange and patient experience that can be developed jointly and create value for both hospitals and their patients.

Summering på svenska

 En delegation från King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KKESH&RC) i Riyadh har besökt S:t Erik för att undersöka möjligheter till närmare samarbete mellan sjukhusen, som båda är medlemmar i World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH).

Besöket inkluderade presentationer, rundabordssamtal och visning av utvalda enheter på S:t Eriks Ögonsjukhus. Diskussionerna fokuserade på hur vård, forskning, utbildning och innovation kan utvecklas tillsammans samt på att identifiera områden där de två specialistögonsjukhusen kan komplettera varandra.

Besöket är en del av S:t Eriks Ögonsjukhus pågående arbete för att stärka internationella partnerskap och samarbeten med ledande ögonsjukhus världen över.

Dialogen mellan S:t Eriks Ögonsjukhus och KKESH&RC kommer nu att fortsätta med målet att identifiera ett begränsat antal konkreta initiativ inom forskning, utbildning, professionellt utbyte och patientupplevelse som kan utvecklas gemensamt och skapa värde för både sjukhusen och deras patienter.