EXPERIENCES OF DIGITALIZATION IN HEALTHCARE

Technology has become one of the cornerstones of today’s hospital environment. I graduated as a registered nurse 14 years ago and have worked in various hospitals both in the U.S. and Finland. When I started my first nursing job, I experienced the transition from traditional paper documentation to electronic health records (EHRs), the major milestone in healthcare digitalization.

As digital tools increasingly shape healthcare work environments, they bring both significant opportunities but also challenges. My first experience with EHRs made my work much more efficient. Patient documentation became faster, and I appreciated the ease of accessing comprehensive patient information, no more digging through dusty folders or trying to interpret illegible handwriting from doctors. Medication administration also felt safer thanks to barcode scanning for both patients and medications.

On the other hand, digitalization continues to present challenges. One of the biggest issues is keeping up with constant changes and staying open-minded.

I have observed that adapting to new technologies can be particularly challenging for senior nursing staff who are more accustomed to traditional systems. This resistance to change can lead to increased stress among individuals and may negatively influence the overall team atmosphere. Therefore, it is essential to implement technological changes in stages, ensuring that adequate training and support are provided throughout the transition.

Looking ahead, I’m excited about the opportunities that future digital tools and systems will bring. I believe hospitals have yet to fully harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI). For example, the large volumes of patient data already stored in EHRs could be used to train machine learning models that predict care needs and optimize hospital resource allocation.

In my view, a person’s attitude towards technology plays a significant role in how well they adapt to digital transformation both at work and in everyday life. Digitalization is reshaping nearly every aspect of our lives: shopping groceries and other goods, social interaction, banking, education, healthcare, transportation, and more. Many daily tasks can now be done remotely, and digitalization has brought people convenience and wide accessibility to existing information.

Maintaining a mindset of curiosity, open-mindedness, and proactivity really helps when adapting to digital change. But at the same time, caution, proper education, and digital support are essential to ensure these technologies are used safely and effectively.

RISKS OF OPEN DIGITAL SOCIETY AND GDPR

An open digital society presents challenges in maintaining data protection and people’s privacy, especially in the healthcare field where sensitive information is collected, documented, and exchanged between healthcare providers. The general data protection regulation (GDPR) was created to safeguard individuals’ data and create unified rules within the EU. However, meeting these standards remains an ongoing challenge for many healthcare organizations.

In my daily work as a nurse, GDPR has brought a heightened awareness around handling patient information. For example, we are required to log in securely, verify patient identity carefully, and limit access to only necessary records. In addition, the hospital requires regular training on its data protection protocol, which reinforces professional responsibility and reminds about the smallest mistakes such as discussing patient details in wrong setting may lead to profound consequences.

There are certain positive outcomes that GDPR brings, and one of these topmost is transparency. Today, patients have more control over their data, while they are able to understand how their data is used, to see their patient records, and even request corrections if errors are noted in their information. This builds trust between the patients and healthcare providers and empowers patients to manage their own data better. In addition, GDPR has forced healthcare systems to modernize their data-handling practices, which leads to improved data quality and patient safety.

GDPR compliance also adds challenges and negative effects in nursing such as bureaucracy, which can slow down workflows. For instance, sharing patient information such as MRI or CT results between different organizations often requires formal requests through administrative staff, even when quick communication would benefit patient care. Additionally, patient information cannot be shared through email, and accessing certain records may require a nurse to “break the glass” in the software leaving a trace of who accessed the data. This can create uncertainty and sometimes even fear among staff as they worry about unintentionally making a mistake. Hospital staff are also required to follow privacy protocols precisely, which can take more time if those processes are not seamlessly integrated into daily routines.

In my personal life, GDPR has made me more aware of my digital footprint. I pay more attention to what data I share online or social media, and I often stop to consider how that data might be used. The increased presence of consent pop-ups and privacy notices is a positive step toward greater transparency and awareness, but they can also feel overwhelming at times or difficult to fully understand, and sometimes I am unsure how to respond.

CHAT GPT AND SECOND OPINION

Many times, at our clinic patients are left to decide whether they wish to have an operation or if they prefer a non-surgical approach. Although doctors explain pros and cons about both options, often patients may need more support in decision making.

I asked ChatGPT if AI could be used to provide a second opinion in orthopedics, if surgery is the best option or should conservative treatment continue?

Chat GPT was able to quickly process and provide very thoroughly and outlined answers with many examples of how it could potentially be used with providing a second opinion between surgical or conservative care approach. For instance, Chat GPT suggested AI could be used in predictive modeling to analyze large datasets such as clinical records, imaging records, lab results, or demographics to predict outcomes for both options. AI could also be used to compare clinical guidelines and outcome databases from large datasets, suggest evidence-based treatment paths, and create personalized risk-benefit profile as a clinical decision support tool. According to ChatGPT AI can offer a highly valuable second opinion in orthopedic cases, supporting doctors and patients in making more informed and personalized decisions. However, it is also clearly stated that AI lacks full clinical context, empathy, and ethical reasoning, while the final decision should remain within healthcare professionals.

The answer was thorough and detailed, and it provided useful examples of how AI could support orthopedic decision-making, particularly in imaging analysis and predictive modeling. It also responsibly underlined the importance of human overseeing the final decision.

The answer didn’t fully take into account the practical limitations in today’s clinical setting. For example, many hospitals and clinics, including ours, currently lack the necessary data infrastructure or access to validated AI tools. In our orthopedic outpatient clinic, AI has barely been introduced so far, and the development or implementation of predictive AI solutions remains something for the future.

I believe AI can offer valuable support in clinical decision making, particularly when used as a tool rather than as the final decision-maker. AI has the potential to quickly analyze large volumes of data, assess problems objectively, and suggest multiple approaches that healthcare professionals might not immediately consider. I also see great potential in the development of predictive AI models, especially as they become more widely adopted within healthcare settings.

However, there are certain limitations to keep in mind when using AI predictive tools. These systems are only as effective as the data they are built on, and developing reliable AI tools requires access to large amounts of high-quality data to properly train machine learning models. Additionally, AI should support clinical decisions and never replace professional judgement. It is also essential that AI tools are transparent, with ethical and legal concerns being addressed, and that patient privacy and data security is considered at the highest level.

SELF EVALUATION

Writing down my thoughts gave me a deeper understanding of how digitalization, data privacy and artificial intelligence interact in today’s healthcare environment. While the digital work environment presents both opportunities and challenges for healthcare professionals, this assignment helped me reflect on new insights and the potential AI may provide, especially as a clinical decision support tool. I also became more aware of the practical limitations that healthcare organizations are facing, including resistance to change, which is something I’ve observed in my own clinic. I also realized the importance of staying updated on evolving data protection regulations like GDPR, not only to ensure compliance, but also to protect patients’ trust and safety, as well as my own privacy in daily life. Going forward, I would like to deepen my knowledge of how AI tools are developed and implemented in clinical settings. I’m also interested in learning more about how nurses can actively participate in digital transformation processes to ensure that new tools truly support and enhance patient care.

I commented on these two blogs:

DIGI SOCIETY
Digi Society