How Boston Scientific Foundation Europe supports digital solutions designed around the realities of patients and healthcare professionals
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a young girl was being treated for pneumonia after experiencing severe shortness of breath. A clinician noticed signs of something more serious. The doctor had recently completed the Francine Leca Foundation's Formation 5/5 training programme and recognised the symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that affects blood flow, reducing oxygen levels in the blood.
The diagnosis led to life-saving surgery in France. She was the first child whose life was saved through the 5/5 programme, a mobile-first digital training programme that helps frontline doctors recognise paediatric heart disease, and the first project supported by Boston Scientific Foundation Europe (BSFE). Since then, many more have followed.
This story illustrates a much wider challenge in global healthcare: how to ensure knowledge, expertise and care can reach underserved communities, regardless of geography or available resources. Formation 5/5 was developed to address that gap without requiring healthcare professionals to leave their homes and communities for specialist training.
Finding solutions to these challenges lies at the heart of BSFE’s mission. Across Europe and beyond, the foundation supports non-profit organisations using digital innovation to improve health and quality of life, particularly where barriers to care persist.
Rethinking digital learning for frontline healthcare professionals
For Orso Chetochine, director of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque and a member of the Boston Scientific Foundation Europe board, the programme's success came from challenging traditional assumptions about digital health. In the BSFE Impact Report 2025, he explains:
"The one thing we absolutely must not do is take something physical and simply convert it into a digital format," he says. "We had to rethink everything from a blank page."
Rather than adapting existing classroom training, the association redesigned the programme around the realities of the clinicians it hoped to reach. Learning modules were delivered in short, mobile-friendly formats that could be accessed on older smartphones and in areas with limited internet connectivity.
Every design decision was guided by a simple question: would this help a doctor diagnose the child sitting in front of them?
Designing digital health solutions around real-world needs
The approach reflects a broader principle at the heart of BSFE’s work: innovation starts with the patient need, not the technology. As healthcare systems continue to evolve, the most impactful innovations are those designed around the realities of the people they serve, with the potential to create lasting, real-world impact. Formation 5/5 illustrates this in practice, with 1,000 doctors trained or in training across more than 50 countries.
That means looking beyond technical sophistication to consider whether a solution can demonstrate measurable impact for patients, extend its reach to new communities or populations, and remain sustainable over the long term.
Discover more about Boston Scientific Foundation Europe’s approach to digital health innovation in the Impact Report 2025.
About Boston Scientific Foundation Europe
Boston Scientific Foundation Europe is a non-profit organisation that supports well-being through digital solutions. Addressing issues of public interest, the Foundation funds initiatives from European non-profit organisations that help prevent or manage diseases. Established in 2018, BSFE is headquartered in France and funded solely by Boston Scientific. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.eu/foundation, LinkedIn, or Facebook.