My earliest experiences with digitalization were when we received a computer as a Christmas present. I knew that a computer was an expensive at that time. At school we learned computer skills and I remember when after school I was allowed to play computer games on the school’s shared computer. I was 18 years old when I got my first mobile phone, and I had done well without a phone until then. In that time when I didn’t have mobile phone, I didn’t always have to be available, and my parents knew that I would come home on time.
When I started my career 20 years ago, all patient records, except blood test results, were on paper. Patient files and X-rays were ordered from the archive. All patient records were also recorded by hand, and doctors dictated the data to a cassette, which was then taken to a typist for decryption. On the one hand, this was an easy time, when there was not so much recording in different information systems, but on the other hand, there was a risk that something would be overlooked or not recorded. I remember when a blood test result was printed for each patient during the night shift, which the doctor could then look at during the patient rotation. After all, digitalization has brought a lot of good when almost all patient data can be easily accessed.
I believe that digitalisation will make healthcare easier in the future, but on the other hand, face-to-face contact cannot be replaced. On the other hand, digital care pathways bring services to patients’ homes and reduce the need for patients to come to the clinic for long distances.
When the wellbeing services county gets a uniform patient information system, the flow of information between different units will become much easier, and hopefully bring smoother patient care. I believe that patient care will become easier because we will have access to all the information that affects patient care. When patients digital skills are increasing, they will also participate more in their treatment in the future, for example through digital care pathways.
I asked AI about how to give chemotherapy and psychosocial support. The answers were absolutely correct, but in general terms. I believe that artificial intelligence can help in retrieving basic information, and certainly be available in the future to solve a wide range of problems. I’m not familiar with artificial intelligence before, so the topic was very interesting. I believe that Artificial Intelligence has its own opportunities, but there will certainly be challenges.
After I had studied the topic, I started to think about the use of digital services in my own life and also in healthcare. I gained a lot of new information, for example, about information security and how much information we give about ourselves when using different services online. I believe that in the future, I will consider the benefits and drawback of digitalisation in a more critical way.
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Hello Ulla,
It is interesting to read your article about the digital society of your experience. I do agree that even through the digital solutions have offered and will offer nice services in the future, the face-to-face contact cannot be removed from the healthcare area. The personal contact is essential for this area.