My thoughts and experiences of digitalization
Digitalization is a global change and it affects all of our every day life. Various electronic services are available to us all the time, every time of the day. Due to the development of digitalisation, we need to constantly develop our digital skills and learn to use different systems and applications. Digitalization has brought a lot of good, but it is important to remember that it is a good servant, but it should not become a master.
I have worked in the healthcare operating environment for about 25 years. During this time, the development of digitalization has been enormous. The use of electronic services in healthcare has increased, and nowadays patients can meet a doctor via chat or video connection, for example. There are also challenges associated with digitalization. Employees have to manage more and more different information systems. Dysfunctional information systems and disruptions slow down and sometimes even prevent work. The smooth flow of information between different information systems and service providers is very important and a prerequisite for patient safety.
Digitalization has changed the role of customers in a more active and responsible direction. It requires a new approach from healthcare professionals to their task. Digitalization has brought a lot of new ways of working to healthcare, and we can’t even imagine what the role of digitalization will be in the future. Artificial intelligence and robotics are constantly evolving, and in the future they will help the work of healthcare professionals. Perhaps in the future, people will be able to do laboratory tests for themselves, stroke and heart attack can be predicted with a mobile phone, and blood sugar can be measured with contact lenses. I believe that in the future, technology can be used more to collect data and treat diseases. Perhaps the treatment can be developed to be more individualized and forget about the general treatment recommendations.
The risks of digitalization
The risks of an open digital society are related to information security, privacy, digital crime and cyber attacks. I think society’s dependence on technology is also a big risk. Damage and disruption of systems can seriously affect the functioning of society. These risks require strong information security, legislation and international cooperation. It is important to develop and maintain systems that protect data, privacy, and critical infrastructure.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the strongest data protection and security law in the world. It was introduced in 2016 and began to be applied in 2018. GDPR offers better protection for people´s personal data and better control over data processing. As an individual, I have the right to know what information is collected about me and for what purpose. I also have the right to request the deletion of my data. Organizations must communicate why and how they use personal data and implement strong data security practices to protect personal data. (
GDPR requires us to click more on the internet. Consent and permission are asked more often if personal data is used for a purpose or if it is passed on. That´s my advantage, even if it feels annoying at times.
Chat GPT
Chat GPT was new to me. I have heard of it, but this is the first time I have used it. I asked Chat GPT a few questions about well-being at work. I think the answers were very good and varied. Chat GPT explains well the term well-being at work and the things that affect well-being at work. In my opinion, there are no problems with the answers, but the questions must be written clearly and simply.
Chat GPT is a good tool for searching for information. The problem with it is that Chat GPT uses existing information and some of it may already be old. Therefore, I would not fully trust its knowledge. I believe that the use of artificial intelligence will increase in the future. In my opinion, it could already be used more in the healthcare environment.
Self evaluation
Technology and digitalization have been a part of my life and all of our lives for a long time. However, I haven’t really thought about it, I’ve just done and executed. The risks of digitalization are significant, but also frightening. It was good to focus on them. I only got to know chat gpt now and it’s a great tool! I will continue to use it. I’ve had a blog before, but I didn’t remember it´s so challenging to create a blog.
The videos showed that everything is changing all the time. In a digital society, we must learn and change constantly. Stopping is not possible.
Source:
European Council & Council of the EU 2023. Data protection in the EU. ttps://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/data-protection/
Blogs I commented:
Auli´s site: https://blogi.savonia.fi/aulivaisanen/
It was interesting to read your text. I was also born in the 1970s and have been a teenager when digitalization started to grow. There has been a lot of development over the last 20-30 years.
I also work in a hospital environment and I remember a time when there was no electronic patient information system. Patients’ information was written on papers. In the 2000s, hospitals were equipped with computers, electronic patient information system and all employees received an email address.
Digitalization has brought a lot of good things, but there are also risks. At work, we depend on computers and all information is in electronic systems. When electronic systems do not work, we do not have access to data. It can be a risk to patient safety.
Hanna´s blog: https://blogi.savonia.fi/hannasdigitalizedworkingenvironment/
You say that you are a millennial and have grown up in the middle of the development of digitalization. As I read your text, I realized how quickly a huge change has happened. I also remember VHS-tapes, cassettes and old tube TVs, but also a time when there were only two channels on TV and no colors!
You mention that in business and sales almost everything has changed. Or at least should have changed. Sometimes I order products (for example clothes) from online stores. It’s easy and simple. I pick up my order from the nearest store and there is no parcel locker. A small store is always full of cardboard boxes and sellers have to work among the boxes, in a very confined space. This is what I wonder, is it modern?
As you say, customer data is analyzed to provide personalised product recommendations and targeted marketing messages. I have noticed that. It’s sometimes annoying and even scary, because a lot of data is collected about us all the time.
It is true, that we must keep our skills up to date, because we get new systems and applications. I agree that digitalization is good servant, and it is not good master. You talked about dangers of depending too much in technology. That is true, because if everything is digital what happens when the power grid goes down? Society is depending too much in digital world and it has changed so fast that even I struggled to keep up with it. GDPR is good thing, because people need data security and knowledge how their personal data is used. Chat GPT is new thing for me. I have tried AI before, and it was interesting.
I myself have noticed that healthcare professionals, like many other professional groups, have to learn, adopt and use different systems and applications, and new ones are coming all the time. Sometimes I have thought about what would happen if, for example, the patient information system crashes for a longer period of time. Today, all information is in electronic form, and at worst this can be a patient safety risk. If we get a new patient information system in the near future, I hope it will be easy to use and secure. At least in the North-Savo welfare area, it would make the work of the nursing staff easier, because there would be one common patient information system, from which the information about the patient can be seen and known by all those taking care of him, regardless of whether the patient is treated in primary care or in a specialized hospital or in a nursing home.
Thank you, Anne, for your thoughts! I am also a welfare coordinator student. I have worked in the healthcare field for about 15 years, with at least 10 years in an operating room unit. We should continuously progress our skills and knowledge to keep up with developments. I understand that continuous learning is necessary in the modern age, but sometimes I wonder how much development and learning new things can be demanded from staff. Continuous learning is also difficult, although, on the other hand, it brings challenges to work. Sometimes, I also wonder what would happen if the system crashed and data could not be saved. Although this is probably not possible, it’s still a concern.