Digitalization in nursing
I have worked in the healthcare sector for almost 20 years. Initially, I spent a long time in rehabilitation, where we worked hard and, for example, patient records were mainly kept on paper with a fountain pen. Later on, a lot of digitalization was introduced, including games and tasks that patients could engage in. We also experimented with some form of virtual rehabilitation, and during my first ten years in healthcare, I witnessed quite a leap from paperwork to, among other things, walking robots.
Later, I studied more in the field of healthcare and ended up working in acute care, but in the region, some functions still operated quite a lot using fax, telephone, paper, and pen, although many things were also done on the computer. For example, social media started to gain more prominence at this stage, but not a single healthcare facility was involved in social media.
Gradually, for example, patients were able to contact healthcare through various websites or callback systems. Self-assessment websites and other need-assessment sites also became available to the general public. Over time, many things were handled online, such as medication orders or product orders.
Gradually, self-service measurement points for patients have also been introduced, from which the patient’s health data is intended to be transferred to patient databases virtually. In addition, patients can manage tasks such as prescription renewals entirely virtually. Many appointment bookings also operate virtually.
Nowadays, I order my medications virtually, send information virtually, and order things like blood bags through my computer, with the pneumatic tube delivering the blood bags to the right location. Patients are also treated a lot through remote contacts, and it may be that a patient can resolve many issues without having to meet anyone face-to-face. In principle, it’s very convenient, but in practice, it isn’t always that simple.
To some extent, automation within the hospital takes care of medication management, including smart medication cabinets and smart medication carts that enhance the safety of medication administration. However, in practice, it also slows down the process of medication delivery. Surely there are still many things left unmentioned in this. Many things are taken for granted, so one doesn’t even realize to mention them in this text.
What could the future bring for the digitalization of nursing?
As the healthcare sector is currently undergoing a significant transformation due to a major resource shortage, many aspects are likely to shift even more toward digitalization. Patients are being encouraged to take better care of themselves, and I believe that, for instance, annual check-ups and many reports could be handled purely virtually, so that a patient may not necessarily have any face-to-face contact with a nurse or doctor at all. Additionally, I think that nursing education will incorporate more simulation learning and some form of virtual reality. Simulations are already being used extensively, but I believe this will continue to increase in the future. Furthermore, I see that interdisciplinary collaboration and consulting with specialists, for example, will become easier as matters and information become more and more digitized.
The risks of the digital society
In Finland, there is a relatively strict patient safety law that addresses, for example, patient data security. As all information gradually moves to digital formats, it enhances patient safety by making it easier for healthcare professionals to access information about a patient’s situation over a longer period, even if the patient is being treated in a different healthcare facility than the one they usually belong to. However, this also comes with its own risks, including interruptions in data communication, software outages, incompatible programs, and professionals who are not skilled enough in searching for the information that is available. Additionally, incidents like the ”Vastaamo” data breach showed that patient information can be hacked, compromising the private details of thousands of patients.
Chat GTP
Chat GTP is surprisingly good at answering questions about the digitalization of the healthcare sector. Of course, since the topic is somewhat familiar to me, I can also ask questions for which answers are easier to find. For example, could healthcare services be largely replaced by artificial intelligence? Certainly in some cases, such as in reviewing lab results, but would this be beneficial for a patient who may not be able to approach things critically? I wouldn’t rush into conclusions about this just yet.
What did I learn from all of this?
At first, it felt very challenging to start working on the task, but as I progressed, I realized that many things in the healthcare field are already managed through digitalization. It’s no wonder that it sometimes feels like a large part of the workday is spent sitting at a computer rather than by the patient’s side. We definitely need to approach digitalization with an open mind and view it as one of the solutions to the urgent crisis in the healthcare sector.