MY WORK AS A UROLOGIC NURSE
I work as a nurse in a urology clinic in a hospital and I use a lot of digital tools in my work. My daily job usually involves physical encounters with patients and “digital work” goes along with it. Our patient information system, laboratory system, operating room system and chat conversations with patients are the most common digital systems that I use in my work every day. I feel that digitalization in my own workplace has developed significantly in recent years and is constantly developing. New services and systems are constantly being introduced and improved. Our hospital also no longer has paper forms with patient information, but all preliminary information surveys, etc. have moved to an electronic format. In addition to the phone, I use email and Teams to communicate with colleagues at work. I am very interested in digitalization and the opportunities it brings, so I see digitalization as a positive change. In my own nursing work, it is a fact that digitalization can in no way replace physical patient care, even though treatment methods are becoming more digital.
KEY ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL USE OF A DIGITAL APPLICATION
I think that the successful use of a digital application is based on the interaction of many areas. Key elements are good usability, technical reliability, a pleasant user experience and the real value the application offers to the user. The application must be easy to use, visually clear and must meet the user’s needs. Successful implementation also requires effective guidance and available support. User engagement can be strengthened through, for example, personalization, reminders and feedback opportunities. Data security and privacy are particularly important in building trust, and accessibility ensures that the application serves a wide range of users on different devices. In summary, I would say that a successful digital application is technically functional, user-oriented and brings tangible benefits to its user.
SOCIAL MEDIA
In my work as a nurse, I don’t use any social media services, and I don’t think I ever will. Information security and data protection are such important issues, and my work involves handling people’s personal data and very sensitive matters, so social media doesn’t fit in with these things at all. However, I have noticed that my organization has its own social media account, as do a few units, such as the maternity ward and the oncology ward. On their Instagram, general information about diseases, treatment, and what is happening in the department in question is shared. However, data protection is well taken into account, and no material referring to patients is published on social media, at least not in a way that would identify the patient. I have been thinking that my own unit’s Instagram channel could be useful in the sense that useful information about common diseases such as prostate cancer (which is the most common cancer in men) could be shared with the population. For example, what kind of symptoms would be good to seek treatment for, what are the most typical symptoms of the disease, etc. Or maybe general information could be provided about urinary frequency or urinary incontinence, because they are also very common ailments regardless of age and many young people may be ashamed of it and not seek treatment for it. Otherwise, I don’t think social media would serve my field in any way.
I joined Instagram right after the app came out, so I’ve been a user for over ten years, which feels like a really long time. I’ve always liked Instagram because I think it’s a clean app and I can see the content of the people I follow. My account is private, and I haven’t shared a single photo on my feed in years. If I update something these days, I do it in stories and there are selected “close friends” who see my stories, not all my followers. I use Instagram every day and often spend too much screen time on it. Instagram is also a good tool for advertising, because I’ve found a lot of different events or offers for online stores there that I wouldn’t have found without Instagram. I like to follow the updates of friends and celebrities I follow on Instagram. Scrolling through the reels is addictive, and you often get hooked on them once you start looking at them. I would say that addiction is one of the negative aspects of the app. However, I have personally found that the content I encounter on Instagram is quite neutral and positive, and over the past ten years I have only had to report a few posts to the government. Different social and healthcare units have their own Instagram accounts that I have seen, and they have fun content, for example what is happening in a particular department, and also a lot of humorous updates.
I have also been using Facebook since I was a teenager. Facebook has evolved a lot from what it was in the beginning. As a teenager, I remember when I had almost 500 friends, half of whom I probably knew. Back then, updates were posted constantly, even several times a day. I still have an account on Facebook, but not a single picture or other information about myself. I only keep a profile to see the content of a few important groups. I think that Facebook is more of a service used by older people these days, and today’s young people or teenagers no longer use Facebook. There are many different groups on Facebook and the content in them can be anything, for example something really inappropriate. Otherwise, I feel that the Facebook homepage is quite confusing, where anyone can post any kind of posts and videos, which can be really stupid. Something I have also paid attention to is the nasty comments and bullying people make on, for example, pictures of celebrities, or news shared by news companies. The comments are often really horrible to read. In summary, I could say that I think there is much more negativity on Facebook than on Instagram.
TIKTOK
I downloaded TikTok when the coronavirus came and with it my hobbies and other leisure activities stopped. At the time, it mostly contained dance videos and the content I saw was quite positive. However, the negative was the addiction of the app, I could easily spend hours browsing TikTok. Because of the addiction, I wanted to delete TikTok, and I haven’t used it since. Nowadays, TikTok has a bad reputation and there is a lot of talk about its harmful content. I just watched a documentary made in Finland about TikTok’s harmful suicidal content that children and young people get into TikTok’s algorithm. It was eye-opening and really sad that so much of this content is allowed on the app and not removed. This kind of content is very harmful to children and young people and increases mental health problems. I have also seen people commenting really meanly on other people’s videos on TikTok. So I don’t like the app and I find it particularly harmful to children and young people because of the problematic content.
I have also used Whatsapp since the app was launched and it has always been easy and functional to use. Nowadays I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t use Whatsapp. I can easily send messages, make phone calls or video calls there, so it’s easy to stay in touch with others. I can’t really think of anything negative to say about Whatsapp, except that I often wonder how the security works when personal matters are discussed there and scams have also been committed via Whatsapp.
SNAPCHAT
I have used and still use Snapchat every day. It is a quick way to communicate in the form of pictures with friends and family members. I think that nowadays, at least for younger people, most of the communication takes place on Snapchat and not via WhatsApp messages. I have found Snapchat to be a good and clear application, and I have never experienced anything bad there. If I think about the negative aspects, then you can send pictures to anyone and pretend to be someone other than you really are. Another thing is that you can put your location on the map, so everyone who follows you can see where you are at that moment. I personally find it a really bad thing, because if, for example, a child or young person has their location visible to everyone and there are many unknowns among their followers, it can lead to dangerous situations.
SELF EVALUATION
Social media plays a big role in everything these days, and I use many different social media apps every day. I often forget about the negative aspects of the apps when I use them, unless I come across various harmful content at that moment. It was interesting to consider these themes in more detail and application specifically. In my current job, social media does not play a big role, and I don’t think it ever will. We once suggested that we create our own Instagram for our workplace, where we would share general information about urological topics, but the idea was rejected immediately, so it has not been discussed since. However, it is great that social and healthcare units also have their own social media accounts that anyone can follow.