DIGI SOCIETY

Health Sector Digitalization

I work in the healthcare sector, and my job is closely related to the digitalization of healthcare. Digitalization in the social and healthcare sector aims to achieve cost savings and alleviate staff shortages. There is plenty of innovation in the field, but Finnish legislation is not up-to-date with digital development. Healthcare digitalization must always be done with the customer in mind. Systems that are too difficult, complex, and poorly functioning cause more harm than good. It is important to involve management, staff, and customers in the development process from the beginning.

I see that digitalization is already changing the service landscape and the actions of professionals and customers in the healthcare sector, and it will do so even more in the future. Properly used robotics increase patient safety and save healthcare professionals’ time. Patients are increasingly able to handle healthcare matters from home. It is already possible to purchase home-use remote diagnostic devices such as digital stethoscopes, digital otoscopes, and examination cameras. A doctor’s appointment can be conducted remotely via video consultation, with the patient using remote diagnostic tools to facilitate the doctor’s diagnosis. I believe that this practice will certainly increase in the future.

During development, it is important to consider the digital skills of customers, as not everyone has them or the necessary devices. Traditional service forms should be available for these people.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is clearly visible in the healthcare sector. Stricter recording guidelines affect, among other things, what can be written in the appointment fields of the patient information system. Depending on the patient information system, professionals’ rights to view information in appointment records vary. Previously, the reason for a patient’s visit was recorded in detail on the appointment book, and many professionals could see this reason without direct contact with the patient. Now, this is prevented by recording the reasons for the visit in the patient’s papers, or only those treating the patients can read the appointment book.

Patients can also read their own information from Kanta and see which professional has handled their data. Previously, this was not possible. I believe that the stricter data protection law is a good thing, but I don’t think it is yet implemented everywhere as required by law. In healthcare-related matters, one can never be too careful. Patients should know who is handling their data and where, and be able to read the information written about them. However, it is possible that patients may sometimes misunderstand the information they read, which can cause difficult situations. In healthcare organizations, the stricter data protection regulation has caused a significant amount of additional work.

Chat GPT

I have been using Chat GPT for a long time. I use it to support my studies, for leisure activities, and as an aid in my work. My most recent use was probably related to writing a wedding speech for my goddaughter. It is convenient, as long as you remember that the answer may not be entirely correct, you can filter it, you know exactly what you want to ask, and you cannot write confidential work-related matters there. The answers are general, but for many things, it provides handy help, such as when asking about attractions in Florence and their distances during a trip to Italy. It greatly facilitates trip planning.

Self-Evaluation

There was not much new information for me in this section because I have been studying digitalization-related topics recently. It was interesting to read others’ thoughts from different perspectives. It would be useful to read and learn about cybercrime because it is increasing all the time, and people are being deceived more and more on social media. Criminals are constantly learning new ways to deceive people as digitalization advances.

I tried to comment on Mari Heikkinen’s blog, but my text didn’t show up anywhere. Rare Care – Savonia’s Blog Site

During my healthcare career, the digitalization of healthcare has developed and changed tremendously. However, compared to healthcare, the digitalization of social services has progressed more slowly. I also believe that it is very important to integrate the documentation of social and healthcare services into a single system visible to all professionals, which has not yet been achieved. There should be a portal available to both clients and professionals where all entries by those involved in the care can be viewed from one place, and the patient could access both healthcare and social services through a single application. Although digital development is happening in many areas, the available services are very fragmented, and clients need to have a lot of knowledge about where to find various information. This complicates the smooth use of services. 

and DIGI SOCIETY – Juha’s Site (savonia.fi) blog.

It was truly fascinating to read about digitalization from the perspective of agriculture. The text provides a good understanding of how digitalization affects every industry, including farming. It has brought many benefits, but it also has its downsides. I agree that it can be extremely challenging for older farming couples to digitalize their operations and learn to work with new technologies. What if someone indeed hacks into a farm’s equipment control system? Do these farmers have a backup plan for how to manage if the machines can no longer handle feeding and milking? I would think they do. Juha’s text also made me somewhat worried about the future of Finnish farms… I hope there will still be enthusiastic farmers and livestock keepers in the future, so we can continue to enjoy clean, Finnish food.