My work

I’ve been on childcare leave for four years of my current work as a nurse in a surgery outpatient clinic but I’m still going to describe my work based on what it was then and what I know now. My job is very versatile, it includes interviewing and guiding patients after doctors’ appointment and by phone, working in wound/immobilization reception and assisting the doctor in minor surgical procedures which is operated once a week. In addition, my work includes appointment functionalities such as booking appointments to healthcare professionals and examinations as well as placing patients in the surgery queue. Everything I do as a nurse needs to be documented in Apotti system, so it is crucial to have digital system/tools in patient care to ensure the best care possible.

Digital tools in my work

Maisa portal – Maisa.fi

In Digi citizen choice of my app I explained more specific what Maisa is and what is it used for. Briefly explained it is a client portal to connect and give information to patients, and offers an easy portal to get consultation help from my colleagues as well. It is a secure channel for patients and professionals to interact with each other anywhere or anytime, and for patients to see health records, fill questionnaires or book appointments. Patients can ask non-urgent guidance and help via chat. It improves the accessibility to our service and reduces the phone congestion and on call time on the phone. With Maisa you can send photos of wounds/casts to nurses for evaluating the need of wound care or cast change. In addition, I believe it increases job satisfaction by allowing professionals to work remotely from home.

 Apotti – Healthcare ERP system

Apotti is the most essential digital tool used in my work and it’s safe to say that without digital patient care system our patient safety would be at risk and the quality of the care would suffer. For example Apotti uses artificial intelligence to warn of risks in patient care, such as drug interactions, and gives reminders to guarantee the patient’s safe and timely treatment. It creates a standardized and personalized profile by testing my repetitive work methods which makes my job easier and more efficient.

Terveysportti, Terveyskylä and Oppiportti Health data and learning banks

I use these banks to get information to support my decision-making in patient care and for learning purposes. There is a nurses database to get evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for patient care and clinical practice to improve quality and reliability of care.

Five new digital tools to use at work

Jodel

Jodel is a new app for me. I visioned that it could be used among patients in day surgery department before or after surgery to chat and share thoughts with each other anonymously.

Instagram

In surgery outpatient clinic our patients are mostly in good condition meaning they are without major disabilities, and the majority of patients are of working age so I imagine Instagram is used and it could provide a good channel to introduce our department, workers, common procedures, educational videos.

TikTok

Tiktok is used among youth, so it could reach out to our younger patients in the same purpose as Instagram. Using TikTok and Instagram you must consider patient privacy and information security so you can’t post any videos where those facts are endangered.

Facebook

Facebook would reach out more of our customers than Instagram and Tiktok. It could give general information such as contact, site links Terveyskylä or Terveysportti. For example, Terveyskylä has a digital path for surgery patients which provides information how to prepare to surgery and the recovery process. In addition it gives information of the harmful effects of smoking before and after surgery.

Doodle

I’ve used Doodle in my spare time to book meetings, bachelorette or other parties among friends to ensure as many people as possible to participate in the events. I could see it used when professionals find the best time to take care of responsibility tasks.

Translate app in health care

I would want a language translate app where you can patient privacy and safety in mind to easily book an interpreter physically on site or remotely. And what also translates automatically using speed recognition and AI for the desired language.

Key elements of successful digital application

In healthcare point of view there are globally over 350 000 health applications available to consumers. The competition to be better than the other is fierce and you must distinguish from others. Everybody can download an app but how to keep consumers motivated and committed in using is another thing.  Successful application must be user-centric, designed and targeted to specific users and most of all it needs to solve a problem, offer a solution, or provide the greatest value and purpose to customers. In addition you can ask the targeted group to participate in the app development. The app must be practical, easy to use but still unique. From my previous course Digital solutions, I learned that gamification, user feedback and support can play an active role in making the app successful and improve patient’s adherence to the treatment. For example, gamifying the training of pelvic floor muscles with technology and mobile game app you could commit patients more to the treatment.

Social media pros and cons

Cons

There is a saying that “Not everything is what it seems like” and this also applies to social media. With deepfake technology you can easily make a false but real-looking video of a person doing and saying whatever you want. So it can damage the reputation of a company or an individual or in the worst scenario possible, start a war.

People post on social media photos that are enhanced and processed so not everything is real. That can lead to idealizing the wrong body image with followers. People post more of the positive aspects of life but behind the scenes it’s a totally different situation. In social media there can be bullying among youth.

Privacy is by far the most imminent threat. Facebook, Instagram and other platforms follows what you do and like, where you are, and what you say. Information can be then passed on to third parties. In social media you can be exposed to scams and identity thefts as well. You must always remember that everything you put on internet never leaves so a photo can haunt and harm you in future.

Pros

Social media offers more visibility to companies, selling and presenting their products. Social media can be used to generate incomes, blogging, making Youtube videos or posting videos, photos on Onlyfans, Instagram or Tiktok platforms.

Social media offers a great tool to communicate anywhere or anytime with others, making new connections, new friends or help to find a partner.  It can help loneliness as well but on the other hand it can lead to loneliness.

SELF-EVALUATION

I learned from this and the previous assignments that I need to participate more on Social media to get more connected with people in regards to my future profession in Digital health expert. I’ve been on LinkedIn but keeping quite low profile so now I try to be more active in there or other platforms such as Twitter. The assignment gave a lot of new applications that I ‘ve never heard of and what could be useful in my daily life and future work, so in the future I will try to be more open to new digital solutions and try them out.