EXPERIENCES ABOUT DIGITALIZATION
I was born in 1995 and grew up with digitalization. I remember playing minesweeper on an old-fashioned computer as a child and getting my first cell phone in elementary school. When smartphones and tablets came onto the market, it felt so incredible and cool. Nowadays, when I own wireless headphones, a laptop and a smartphone, and a smartwatch, those childhood days with a big computer seem very distant and I think that the development of technology has truly been revolutionary over the years. It seems crazy that the watch on my wrist can tell me about my sports performance, my sleep, my blood oxygen level, my ECG, and even call 911 if I fall badly while running, for example. But this is modern times!
In my work as a urological nurse, I use a wide range of digital tools to support my tasks. These include patient information systems, operating room systems, laboratory systems, and communication tools for patient care discussions. In addition to these, digitalization is constantly evolving in my organization, and new digital services are being developed, such as electronic care pathways for patients and remote consultations. In the future, I would like to work with the design and development of various digital systems, applications, and services through this education. I am also interested in the usability and testing of digital services and applications, as I have observed many issues with the digital systems I use in my own work. Digitalization will certainly continue to change my work in the future, as the services offered to patients become increasingly digital, and healthcare staff will likely be able to work remotely at least part of the time.
RISKS OF OPEN DIGITAL SOCIETY
The development of an open digital society brings many positive benefits, such as better services and more efficient processes. However, it can also come with risks, such as weakened privacy protection, social inequality, cyber threats, legislative challenges, and ethical issues related to algorithms. GDPR provides ways to manage some of these risks, but its full implementation and enforcement are challenging. It is important that the development of digital systems and services takes these risks into account and ensures that they do not endanger people’s rights or safety.
GDPR affects my life in many ways, as it ensures that I have the right to protect my personal data and decide how it is used. With GDPR, I have more control over my personal information, it enhances the protection of my privacy, and grants me rights such as the right to request the deletion or correction of my data, as well as the ability to control how and for what purposes organizations can use my data. I also use many websites in my daily life, so it is reassuring that websites can no longer collect my data automatically and use it without my consent, for example, to create targeted advertising.
GDPR also brings strict rules to my work regarding the handling of patient data. It is my responsibility to ensure that patient data is handled legally, securely, and with respect for the patient’s privacy. Additionally, I must remain constantly aware of data protection practices and participate in training provided by my organization that supports the safe handling of patient data.
CHATGPT
I haven’t used artificial intelligence applications much and I tried ChatGPT for the first time this spring. I’ve heard a lot about artificial intelligence and especially ChatGPT, but I’ve still experienced artificial intelligence and its use as something foreign to me, and therefore I haven’t investigated artificial intelligence applications in more detail. In addition to these things, I’ve read that doing an artificial intelligence search consumes much more of the environment compared to a Google search, so for that reason too, I don’t really like using artificial intelligence. When used correctly, artificial intelligence can certainly be quite useful in some matters and give things the right direction, but I would think that its use should be more regulated. However, it is not possible to know for sure whether the answers given by artificial intelligence are completely correct or whether they take copyright or other ethical issues into account.
However, here are a few questions that I asked ChatGPT regarding my own work as a urological nurse.
What is urology?
Urology combines medical treatments with surgical expertise, and urologists (doctors specializing in urology) often work alongside other healthcare professionals to address both the physical and emotional aspects of these conditions.
What is the most common urological disease?
The most common urological diseases include a variety of conditions that affect the urinary system and male reproductive organs. However, one of the most prevalent is urinary tract infections (UTIs).
What is the job description of a urological nurse?
The role of a urological nurse is critical in providing specialized care for patients with urological and male reproductive conditions. Their responsibilities range from clinical care and education to emotional support and collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Urological nurses play an essential part in improving patient outcomes, supporting patients through difficult conditions, and ensuring effective management of urological health.
Regarding ChatGPT’s answers, they provide partly correct information but also quite roundabout answers. More comprehensive information regarding the second question, for example, could certainly be found on the Terveyskylä website or the welfare areas’ own websites.
SELF EVALUATION
There were many things that were partly familiar and coincidentally we are currently running a data security course that covers GDPR, among other things. The videos in the course material were very interesting to watch. Digitalization and AI are the future and certainly good tools when used correctly, but I think they and especially the negative aspects of AI should be talked about more (environment, ethics, cheating in school assignments). I would like to hear more about these negative aspects in the future and how they will be resolved.
Blogs I commented on: