In my current position as a system specialist in healthcare, I understandably use a lot of different digital healthcare systems and applications. These can be divided into actual information systems including servers, platforms and integration tools and on the other hand to digital tools that support daily communication and general digital work.
One of the most important digital systems for day-to-day collaboration is MS Teams. I use it for multidisciplinary meetings, meetings and communication with my colleagues and other work contacts, project management and also for file management and sharing together with OneDrive. I would say it really is a fluent part of my everyday work. Of course, the entire M365 family is an important part of a worker’s toolkit. Our intranet is based on SharePoint and is built to be as interactive as possible, including different communication methods such as news, incident reports and discussion forums. Miro is a useful tool in projects and for brainstorming in groups.
I use LinkedIn for personal purposes, networking and marketing my skills. Skype, Zoom and Open Badges are more familiar from study connections, but I have also used Skype for work tasks in the past. My Facebook and Instagram are purely in personal use.
SOCIAL MEDIA – ONLY A POSITIVE ACTOR?
Using social media has its pros and cons. On the other hand, especially interactivity and bringing people from different backgrounds together around something is great. Social media also brings new opportunities for self-expression, and digital teamwork applications may lower the threshold for making one’s voice heard also in working life. On the other hand, it is also easy to distort things and spread disinformation on social media.
Teamwork with an interactive collaboration tool can be really fun at best. But, there’s a but. If a digital application is not good in terms of usability, it just takes time and resources and doesn’t really provide benefits. Negative experiences only reinforce any previous negative attitude towards digital solutions.
SOMETHING NEW
From the given examples I think that Asana would definitely be something I could use in my work in project planning and managing different parts and tasks of the project. It could possibly be something that would be very useful for my employer also in managing different resources. Evernote seems to be very similar. Both of these come across as easy to use with clear user interface and I very much appreciate that. Of course one should not use several different platforms for the same purpose. That’s not agile or reasonable.
SafetyCulture (formerly known as iAuditor) is an interesting one. In my line of work there is a constant need for auditing processes, evaluating health and safety matters, quality control and comparing the fulfilment of legal obligations. Risk management and especially mitigating risks is also a big part of a successful project.
We are currently piloting M365 Copilot and that might work well with Mural. I could imagine Mural working well in situations where ideas for developing functional processes or innovating are collected. It could be especially useful in situations where ideas are being brainstormed with people in the operation who may not be so familiar with digital tools. ChatGPT could be useful at work when there is a need for new ideas or solutions to specific problems. Of course, you have to remember to be critical with it, because the information may not be completely correct or impartial. It could be used as a source of inspiration through which to develop new procedures.
It’s nice to know that different options for doing and managing things are out there, but the the practical fact is that the digital tools used in work are very much determined by organizational common practice. It is practical to use the same contact channels with different partners and, for example, system suppliers. An organization’s internal digital tools are determined by the need for use, cost and reliability. However, lighter digital tools, such as idea boards or software for creating project diagrams, are easy (and permissible) to use alongside them.
WHAT IS A GOOD DIGITAL APPLICATION MADE OF?
The most important features of a digital application are usability, reliability and versatility. The user interface must be clear and accessible in order for the application to have opportunities for wider use. Integration is also a plus, as there is neither the desire nor the time to do overlapping work. A digital application should also be scalable and functional for mobile use.
SELF EVALUATION
Frankly, I’m not the biggest fan of social media and I try to protect my kids from it as well. I use a few apps in my personal life, but at work, the use of so-called social media isn’t very allowed either. On the other hand, social media could well be used in health care and wellbeing services counties to engage customers and residents, to bridge the gap between services and customers, and create a positive image of the organisation. The work and competence of healthcare professionals as well as services (especially new, digital services) can be made more visible through social media.
Professionally, I use social media platforms and various programs in my opinion fluently. I wish there was more time and opportunities to get to know different digital tools at work, and even now it was fun to learn what is available. In freelance work, of course, you can choose your own tools quite freely, and in those jobs I would certainly make more free use of the offering.