Digital tools

I graduated as a radiographer in 2012 and began working at a small health center, where I am still employed. In our X-ray unit, we perform basic X-ray examinations, dental scans, and ultrasound procedures. Occasionally, I also work at a hospital, where I am part of a larger medical team.

In my work, I use two different patient information systems: Pegasos and Lifecare. I use also the Radunet imaging system and PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), which is a software for storing medical images. Other software I use includes Microsoft Office programs and, of course, email. We also have our own intranet where you can find our imaging guidelines. Once a week, we have a morning meeting, which can be attended either in person or via Teams.

Our welfare area is active on social media. You can follow us on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. These platforms provide opportunities to communicate with patients and the public. Benefits include helping patients find important information and services quickly. Through these channels, we can also run various campaigns and promote events, such as vaccination pop-up happening. However, challenges such as protecting patient information are a concern. Therefore, clear guidelines are necessary for the use of social media.

Social Media

We were tasked with selecting five new social media tools that we could use in our daily work. I found it challenging to do this task since I work in the public healthcare sector. I took some creative liberty and let my imagination run. Below are the programs I could use in my workplace if I had the freedom to choose.

DeepL

DeepL is a translation program based on artificial intelligence. Of course, there are other translation programs, but DeepL has been praised for its accuracy. The limiting factor is that DeepL only supports around thirty languages. I would use the program to make customer instructions.

Safety Culture (iAuditor)

Safety Culture (iAuditor) is a software that is used e.g. for safety management and quality control. Both external and internal audits are performed periodically in the imaging units. Using iAuditor, creating reports on mobile devices would be quick and easy.

Mural

Mural is a cloud-based virtual workspace that offers a digital whiteboard. Last week, I participated in a workshop where new health center facilities were planned. This tool would have enabled remote participation and collaboration.

Slack

Slack is a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform that allows employees to send internal messages. In the event of a fault, quick communication is important. The self-registration machine used in the hospital is sometimes out of order. In the failure situation, we cannot see who has signed up for examinations. Through Slack, we could get information about the failure situation quickly and we would react to the situation accordingly.

Todoist

Todoist is a cloud-based task management program. I could use this for myself. Now, my life is dominated by work, studying and helping my family. Todoist seems like a clear application, the use of which allows me to forget the notes. The application can also be used as a work tool for a small team, but I would stick to personal use.

The advantage of social media is that it enables communication with both acquaintances and colleagues. It provides an opportunity to network. Information travels quickly, and, for example, news can be followed in real-time. On the downside, social media can spread false or misleading information. Acting anonymously allows for bullying and disruptive behaviour, which is difficult to address. Social media can also take up a lot of people’s time and thus disrupt their focus.

Elements of successful use of digital application

Usability is one of the most important features in applications. Simply put, the program must be easy to use and intuitive. Ease of use means that the program should be accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

The application must meet the core requirements or objectives for which it was designed. It should load quickly and perform tasks without delays. Stability is essential. Data privacy must be ensured, with regular security updates in place. The application should work across different operating systems and devices. Once the app is in use, it’s time to gather user feedback. Based on that feedback, improvements can be made to the application.

Self evaluation

I’m not sure why this task was difficult for me. At times, it felt impossible to focus on what was essential. There was an overwhelming number of applications that I had never heard of before, and I couldn’t manage to explore all of them beyond a superficial level.

While researching the apps and various topics, I came across the accessibility standard WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which I hadn’t been aware of before. The goal of the WCAG guidelines is to ensure that people with disabilities or other functional limitations can also use web services.

Despite everything, I have learned a lot.