Echoes of the digital society
Digitalisation saves time previously spent searching for information, offering the advantage of faster processing and easier access to services, without having to deal with physical and logistical challenges. The biggest change in my field has been in the recording and accessibility of patient information, thanks to digitalisation. Patient records, professional literature and communication have largely moved from paper to digital. The different actors involved in patient care are able to transmit information and communicate with each other in real time. This improves the flow of care and patient safety. Examples include easy-to-create and update care guidelines within organisations and nationally, e.g. KäypäHoito recommendations. The electronic prescription service has brought streamlining and patient safety to both patients and care institutions. The national centralised patient information system OmaKanta is a good source of centralised information, as long as it is updated in real time and does not encrypt information relevant to care. In the future, the number of welfare areas will change again, the network of service providers will grow and the use of digital remote services will increase. Access to centralised, up-to-date information will then be an essential factor in healthcare.
The disadvantage of electronic health record systems is that there are too many systems, with information scattered across different programs. Retrieving information from different software can be a challenge. Information in all programs is not always updated in real time and staff access to different programs may be limited. Sometimes the lack of interoperability between software and care equipment causes extra work and costs, and does not benefit care. For example, diagnostic equipment that does not allow data to be stored directly in patient information systems.
In the healthcare sector, software investment costs are high and procurement processes long. Procurement managers do not always have the skills, budget and knowledge base to ensure a successful procurement process. Projects may be designed by people who do not have the substantive knowledge for the industry. If user customers are not consulted and asked for their wishes and opinions on software purchases, a product may be purchased that does not serve the users.
Also, some of the software on the market is poorly designed and cumbersome and does not meet the needs of the subscriber, and is not adaptable to the needs of the user. Software can be outdated even at the time of deployment, as digital solutions are evolving at a rapid pace. If the subscriber does not know what features are required of the product at user level, they may buy a product that is not helpful but a hindrance to their everyday care.
Open digital society – threat or opportunity?
An open digital society enables fast, up-to-date and easy information transfer. The drawbacks are privacy leaks, access issues and data storage issues. Individuals should understand what their data is being used for, who is using it and how they can control it. It is particularly important to safeguard the rights of the elderly, children and special categories of people with regard to the processing of personal data. The older generation has not grown up in the digital society, but has taken over its functions and services over the years. The GDPR regulation, which strengthens the rights of individuals to manage their personal data, allows for better deletion and transfer of personal data between organisations. This is important if the individual has not understood or is not familiar with the data processing protocol of the service provider and wishes to withdraw or change their consent.
In healthcare, employees have strict data protection guidelines to ensure that patient data is only processed by those involved in their care. This is to ensure confidentiality and prevent data spying. Access to patient data by nursing staff is limited to the software necessary for their work. However, the multiplicity of software used also means that staff are faced with a multitude of passwords and authentication methods. The ease and simplicity of personal authentication for staff, e.g. through a single certificate, would make the practical work easier for both the user and the administrator.
Organisations need to understand their responsibilities as data processors and controllers and ensure adequate security systems to prevent data leaks. In particular, in the context of mergers and acquisitions, awareness of the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation with regard to rights of access should be ensured. As digital services are cross-border services, it is important for business that EU Member States have a single set of rules on data protection. A common set of rules will clarify the structures that govern operations and safeguard customers’ rights.
Digital data storage and structured record-keeping allow data to be used, for example, for science and research. Yet not all current software systems can cope with the volume of data transfer. Data that can be used for research is also lost due to data protection constraints. Some scientific disciplines may be left behind if decisions to use data are made with insufficient resources and the wrong motives. The collection and use of data should not be selective, but transparent and objective. Nor should overly strict data protection restrictions and outdated software be a brake on science, research and development.
ChatGPT
I asked Chat GPT to outline preparation instructions for a 1 year old child about to have a tympanostomy operation. The response was long and extensive and included things that are not relevant at this stage of the treatment process. Some sections needed more detailed information and some sections contained unnecessary information. In Finnish nursing culture, patient instructions are concise and informative. In this response, the subject was dealt with in an unnecessarily superficial and broad manner.
I also asked Chat GPT to tell me about the medical treatment of anaphylactic reactions. The response was perfectly valid to the current KäypäHoito recommendation. Only the mention of “treatment includes possible hospitalisation in the aftermath of the reaction” differs from our recommendation. Hospitalisation should always be sought after an anaphylactic reaction.
I asked ChatGPT, what instruments do I reserve for the instrumentalist for blepharoplasty surgery? The instruments used for blepharoplasty vary somewhat depending on the surgeon performing the operation, but the basic instrumentation is very similar everywhere. The AI’s answer was very general. Based on this answer, I would not have been able to prepare an instrument table for the surgery. However, the AI would advise you to ensure more detailed instructions from the staff.
AI will certainly help in many different areas of nursing as a result of developments. Currently, Finland is running the Profit project, which is investigating how AI can be used to support nursing care. Nursing students at Turku University of Applied Sciences are testing and evaluating the technology used in the project. It is hoped that the project will provide the healthcare sector with many new tools to ease the burden of nursing work and the shortage of resources.
Self-assessment
The material accompanying this assignment gave a lot of food for thought about the pros and cons of digitalisation and the things to consider, both in everyday life and at work. Digitalisation will be of great help in healthcare, where there is a chronic shortage of resources and technological advances are advancing at a rapid pace. Digitalisation brings many benefits, but also drawbacks. Denial of service attacks, technical problems and malfunctioning software also cause extra work and slow down care.
The use of artificial intelligence, for example in word processing, brings speed and accuracy to care. However, layoffs of word processing operators are a flaring phenomenon. In many nursing units, word processor operators have also performed the work of departmental secretaries, which means that redundancies mean the end of several jobs. In a context of stretched human resources, this means a deterioration in the level of service and a consolidation of tasks. AI is not the solution for all customer service tasks.
There are too many different software applications in use in healthcare, both within a single healthcare institution and nationally. Maintaining many different types of software is expensive and it is difficult for employees to learn many of them. Finland is too small a country for the current amount of software. From a customer perspective, digital services should be easy to use and accessible to all patient groups. Special groups should also be able to use digital services when local services are not available. It is also important to take into account data protection when the customer is assisted by another person.
Here are the blogs I commented on:
DIGI SOCIETY
https://blogi.savonia.fi/Satum/digi-society