Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare (FinJeHeW) is a scientific journal maintained by the Finnish Social and Health Informatics Association (FinnSHIA) and the Finnish Society of Telemedicine and eHealth (FSTeH). ISSN 1798-0798
Finnish Social and Health Informatics Association
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Aspects associated with health care professionals’ digital health competence development – a qualitative study
Health care professionals need continuous education to maintain the competencies required to provide high-quality care; in today’s world, this means an understanding of digital health services. Insight into health care professionals’ experiences of which aspects influence their digital health competence development is therefore highly relevant. The objective of the study was to examine which aspects influence the digital health competence development of health care professionals (nursing workforce and allied health professionals). In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 health care professionals (Finland n=15, Sweden n=5) from various health care settings between May 2019 and July 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded, translated verbatim and analysed with inductive content analysis. Health care professionals perceive that digital health competence development is influenced by aspects related to digital health adoption, co-workers and the work community, their manager, and opportunities for continuous education and orientation. The participants agreed that digital health competence is an important part of a health care professional’s overall clinical competence. Continuous education geared towards digital health competence should be systematically designed, and potentially integrate the resources available on social media platforms. Additionally, managers and supervisors should take a stronger stance towards learning about digital health services so they can serve as role models to their employees and genuinely promote digital health competence development.
Copyright (c) 2022 Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Kirjoituskutsu: SoTeTiTe-tutkimuspäivät 21.4.2026 Helsingissä
Copyright (c) 2025 Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Osaaminen, teknologia ja yhteistyö: avaimet tulevaisuuden sote-palveluihin
Finnish Journal of eHealth And eWelfare -lehti hakee päätoimittajaa ja varapäätoimittajaa kaudelle 2026–2028
Uudistuva tieto – kehittyvät teknologiat
Organization of remote home care and employee job satisfaction and workload
The purpose of the study was to describe and compare the job satisfaction of employees working in centralised and decentralised remote home care, satisfaction with the inclusion of remote home care in home care, and experiences of the effects of remote home care on workload. The research was carried out as an e-mail survey in April-September 2022 from employees of five home care organizations implementing remote home care (n=103). Employees of both centralised (n=15) and decentralised (n=28) remote home care were mostly satisfied with their work. However, the satisfaction of the employees of the centralised remote home care was better than the employees of the decentralised remote home care (p < 0.05) and they were clearly more satisfied with the inclusion of remote home care as part of the home care services (p < 0.001). Employees of centralised remote home care felt that remote home care had reduced the workload in all its aspects more than employees of the decentralised remote home care (p < 0.05 – p < 0.001). Qualitative data supported quantitative results. The results suggest that centrally organized remote home care can reduce the workload experienced by employees, including rush, which can have an impact on employees’ well-being at work. The research results can be utilized when remote home care is likely to expand further in the future and work organization methods are planned.
Professionals – developers of digital social and health care
Lectio praecursoria, Rintasyövän arviointi mammografia-aineistosta lääketieteellisen kuva-analyysin ja laskennan avulla
Skilled knowledge formation and innovative technologies in social and health care – a socio-technical systems perspective
Advancing information management in social and health care requires theoretical frameworks that integrate the examination of technology, expertise, and organizational context. This article explores the utilization of innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in social and health care information management from the perspective of socio-technical systems theory. In socio-technical systems theory, the social and technical elements of an organization form a unified systemic whole, where knowledge formation is based on both technology and human expertise. In a sociotechnical system knowledge formation extends beyond the technical collection and management of information; it also involves the meaningful interpretation and utilization of information through collaboration between people and technology. Consequently, technology supports professionals' critical evaluation and decision-making without mechanically directing their actions. The exchange of information among different professional groups and interdisciplinary collaboration enable the structured formation of shared interpretations, thereby supporting high-quality and client-centered service delivery. Ethical and transparent knowledge formation, on the other hand, requires acknowledging clients' experiences and reinforcing their participation. User-centered and agile design ensures the practical functionality of technology. Effective knowledge formation necessitates a shift in thinking, where professionals are not viewed as machine-like components serving technology but as skilled experts whose human capabilities and professional competence are strategically utilized. Applying socio-technical systems theory to information management in social and health care integrates the potential of technology, human expertise, and organizational culture into flexible, ethical, and client-oriented decision-making. This represents a dynamic and multidimensional process in which technology, professional competence, and client participation form a cohesive whole that supports the objectives of the service system and well-being of the professionals.
Kohti parempaa käyttäjäkokemusta: pre- ja kotidialyysihoidon sähköisten ratkaisujen käyttäjäkeskeinen suunnittelu
Terveydenhuollon sähköisiä palveluita suunniteltaessa haasteena on huomioida palvelujen käytettävyyden ja käyttäjäkokemuksen suunnittelussa sekä ammattilaiset että potilaat. Tässä hanke-esittelyssä kuvataan "Käyttäjäkeskeinen suunnittelu ja potilaskokemus" -tutkimushanke, jossa tavoitteena on selvittää, miten sähköisten palvelujen avulla voidaan parantaa kotidialyysipotilaiden potilaskokemuksia ja helpottaa heitä hoitavien ammattilaisten työtä hoidon eri vaiheissa. Tutkimuksessa keskitytään palvelujen käytettävyyteen ja käyttäjäkokemukseen. Tutkimus on osa laajempaa Suomen Akatemian rahoittamaa ”Parempaa hoitoa kotona – optimoitu ihmiskeskeinen predialyysi- ja kotidialyysihoito” -hanketta (2022-2026), joka on jatkoa aiemmalle eCare4Me-projektille. Tutkimus sisältää kolme työpakettia ja tutkimuksessa hyödynnetään potilaskokemusten tutkimiseen, sähköisten palveluiden käytettävyyden arviointiin ja yhteissuunnittelun soveltuvia käyttäjäkeskeisen suunnittelun menetelmiä. Tavoitteena on kehittää uusia menetelmiä sähköisen palvelukokonaisuuden kuvaamiseen suunnittelutyön tueksi, sekä kuvata suunnitteluohjeita sähköisten terveyspalvelujen suunnitteluun ja suosituksia kotidialyysihoitoa tukevien palvelujen räätälöimiseksi eri käyttäjäryhmien tarpeisiin.
Harmonised standards to the AI Act – for medical devices, too
The European Union artificial intelligence act (AI Act) establishes the rules for the application of artificial intelligence (AI) systems within the European Union. The AI Act is to be complemented with the harmonised standards that provide the presumption of conformity to the AI Act if implemented fully in the organisation that provides the AI system. The joint technical committee 21 (JTC 21) of CEN and CENELEC has been assigned the responsibility to prepare these standards. Work is under way to develop standards for AI risk management, AI cybersecurity, AI quality management, Quality and governance of datasets in AI, AI trustworthiness framework and AI conformity assessment. As medical devices incorporating an AI component are also within scope of the AI Act, these standards apply to medical devices, too. For this reason, medical device experts need to contribute to the AI standardisation work so that the resulting standards will be feasible in the health sector. The challenge in the work is to make several standards good and compatible with each other in the presence of a plurality of opinions and a hurry to produce the standards in time.
Safety of the use of digital services and technology - Project description
Due to rapid technological advances, digital technology and services have changed the way that health care consumers and providers communicate and receive and deliver care. Further, they play a significant role in ensuring the quality and accessibility of social and health care services. Digital technology and services in social and healthcare context cover various methods, such as telemedicine and eHealth interventions, mobile health applications and remote monitoring devices. However, their implementation and use also presents unexpected challenges and risks that need to be identified to ensure proper implementation of client and patient safety and to eliminate avoidable harm. As safety in social and healthcare context is the product of many interrelated parts that change over time, efforts to improve safety should be targeted to evolve and identify emerging and unexpected challenges and risks. By analyzing the incident reports, it is possible to identify underlying factors and generate actionable knowledge to mitigate risks. Further, the data they provide enable researchers to categorize, and analyze it for quality improvement, care enhancement and development of patient safety supportive practices in a timely manner. Therefore, it is essential to utilize the information produced by incident reports of digital technology and services to identify the risks and preventive measures related to them.
Quality of recording has an impact on the quality and safety of care
Nursing documentation is an essential part of nursing and necessary to ensure safe and high-quality care. It ensures that patient care information is up-to-date and accessible to all members of the healthcare team, guaranteeing continuity of care. The information produced in patient records about events during patient care serves as legal documents that protect both patients and healthcare staff. Additionally, documentation allows for monitoring the patient's condition and the progress of care, helping to make informed care decisions and improve the quality of care and patient safety. The national nursing documentation model consists of key structured nursing data elements (nursing diagnosis, interventions and outcomes, nursing care intensity, and nursing summary), the nursing process, and the Finnish Care Classification (FinCC). By documenting nursing according to the national nursing documentation model, the legal requirement for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating patient care, as well as providing a nursing summary, is fulfilled. The entries must indicate how the care was carried out, whether anything special occurred during the care, and what care-related decisions were made during it. At the same time, information is produced about the content of nursing in operational units, which also describes the competence requirements, training needs, and provides feedback on the performance of nursing staff in clinical nursing. Structured data and consistent terms bring structure and clarity to documentation and support the secondary use of information to enhance organizational efficiency and decision-making, including in management, research, and education. However, it has been noted nationally that social and healthcare information is not optimally utilized for prevention, improving care quality, or achieving cost-effectiveness and impact. The maintenance and development of FinCC is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Management at the University of Eastern Finland, under the name Nursing Terminology Project. According to the cooperation agreement, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare is responsible for publishing the FinCC classification system for national use. The FinCC expert group continuously works on development.
Documentation, Nursing, Electronic health records, (Health) Information system, Informatics, Terminology as Topic
Lectio praecursoria, Shared decision-making: Towards patient-centred care
A report on the use of remote healthcare technology in the Kainuu welfare region
The proportion of elderly people is growing in the population. The financial challenges of the wellbeing services counties and the sufficiency of nursing staff in Kainuu and elsewhere in Finland have been widely discussed in the media, and they challenge the current healthcare service structure. In Kainuu, the strategy of the wellbeing services county emphasizes the role of digital services alongside the traditional physical healthcare network. The current situation in the Kainuu wellbeing services county was surveyed with an electronic survey directed at employees (n = 57) and supplemented with selected expert interviews (n = 10) in 2024. The interviewees were mainly employees of the wellbeing services county of Kainuu who had expertise in elderly care and the use of technology in the field of social welfare and healthcare. The survey investigated the remote technologies in use in healthcare and at home, collected the personnel's needs on solutions utilizing remote technology and related challenges. Currently remote technologies are used, at least to some extent, to support remote care. Communication with the customer via video phone service, electronic door opening and safety wristband were already established technologies. The staff is aware of the potential of using remote technology as a healthcare tool and hopes that its use will increase. Concerns were raised about resources, data protection and security issues, the need for training and the overall reliability of technological equipment.
Skull fracture detection for point-of-care diagnostics using microwave technique
The possibility to detect severity of skull fractures outside the hospital already in the accident location would be a promising eHealth application. Such a point-of-care type of device would smoothen the patients’ path to the treatment after the accident. Additionally, frequent and safe monitoring of the healing process of skull fractures in smaller healthcare centers, as a new telemedicine solution, would enable early detection of potential problems. Microwave technique has shown significant potential for portable monitoring devices since it enables safe, low-cost, and high accuracy detectors. This paper has three research objectives: (1) to investigate the potential of microwave techniques for detecting common skull fracture types using antennas embedded in a small, portable monitoring device, (2) to evaluate optimal frequency ranges for skull fracture detection, and (3) to examine the impact of scalp thickness on fracture detectability. The research is carried out using electromagnetic simulation software with human head models resembling different scalp thicknesses and flexible antennas operating at 2.5–10 GHz. In the evaluations, scattering parameters are analyzed with the head models both with and without the fractures. The evaluation results show that different types of skull fractures can be detected with microwave technique. Fractures cause differences in scattering parameters ranging from 2 dB to 12 dB, depending on the type of fracture. The most optimal frequency ranges for detection are 3–5 GHz and 9 GHz. The thickness of the scalp impacts the detectability of skull fractures, yet fractures remain detectable even with the model with thicker scalp. These findings support the potential of microwave technique for developing portable, point-of-care devices for timely and precise skull fracture pre-diagnosis and frequent monitoring of the healing process. This approach particularly benefits young children, for whom conventional screening methods may pose more significant challenges.
Students’, teachers’ and professionals’ perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes about welfare technology
Welfare technology is expected to provide relief especially for the challenges of aging societies. This requires knowledge, skills, and acceptance from health care professionals. This also challenges health and social care education institutes to provide future health care professionals up-to-dated training. Health care staff’s interest and knowledge on welfare technology has been shown to vary. Only little is known about health and social care education teachers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes towards welfare technology. The purpose of this study was to compare health and social care students’, teachers’ and professionals’ perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes to utilize welfare technology. This information can be used in the development of social and health care education. The cross-sectional quantitative data was collected with online surveys in Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and Portugal. Health and social care students (n=103) and teachers (n=51) were mainly vocational school students and teachers. Health and social care professionals (n=40) were persons, who worked in the care of older adults. They were contacted by educational institutes. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test (2-samples) was used to test the difference between students and teachers, students and professionals as well as teachers and professionals. The results suggested that teachers had better theoretical knowledge about welfare technology than students and professionals. However, all these groups had mainly similar knowledge levels regarding more applied knowledge and skills. The results also showed that teachers perceived that nurses’ attitudes to welfare technology were more negative than they were. Health and social care students, teachers, and professionals need further training about welfare technology. Moreover, especially teachers require practical training to be able to provide innovate and motivating welfare technology education for future health and social care professionals.
The secondary use of the Finnish national health data repository Kanta – opportunities and obstacles
The Finnish law about the secondary use of health data has made it possible to use also the data in the Kanta national health and social welfare data repository, the Kanta Services for secondary purposes such as scientific research, innovation and development, education, statistics and information management. The Kanta Services contain also a personal health record data repository, the Kanta PHR. The large amount of health data in the Kanta Services makes it an interesting source for various secondary purposes. This paper studies the opportunities, but also obstacles to the secondary use of Kanta data. The study focuses on two use cases, the Kanta PHR data use and the Patient Data Repository use for disease risk predictor development. The topic is studied by analysing laws, Kanta system documents, scientific literature, current discussions of the topic in public and three expert interviews. The literature search analysed for relevance all articles with keyword Kanta in the Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare since year 2024 and also other scientific literature discussing Kanta Services and secondary use. The result of the Kanta PHR use case study was that although the EU General Data Protection Regulation would allow the secondary use of the Kanta PHR data based on consent, the current Kanta Services applications do not support this at all. Disease risk predictor development is possible with Kanta patient data repository data in scientific research, but innovation and development activities face administrative difficulties because only aggregated Kanta data is allowed to use for these purposes. Information management can make use of aggregated Kanta Services data and it can be used for benchmarking the quality of a health delivery unit to other similar units in Finland. While protecting the privacy of the individuals’ data in the Kanta Services, improvements to the secondary use law are suggested. These include the easier access to non-aggregated health data for research and development, possibilities to individuals to consent the secondary use of their Kanta PHR data and allowing the use of risk calculations for automatically inviting persons at risk to health check-ups. It is also recommended that lessons are learned from the Finnish secondary use law and the European Union European Health Data Space law allows more flexible use of health data for secondary purposes from those individuals that allow it.
Walking detection for Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy control subjects measured with a smartphone accelerometer using mean amplitude deviation algorithm
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects mobility, leading to a decline in the patient's quality of life. Analyzing gait for these patients aims to improve the mobility of the Parkinson’s disease patients. The goal of this study was to validate mean amplitude deviation for detecting gait in Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy controls. This method is robust and orientation-independent and has accurate results on physical activity detection for different study populations. The novelty of this study is to use and evaluate a previously validated method with Parkinson’s disease patients instead of healthy young subjects as in earlier studies. We utilized inertial measurement unit data measured using smartphones from pre-existing datasets with pre-defined and labeled activities and free-living data containing continuously collected over three consecutive days. One dataset included 30 healthy adults, and the other two included in total of 62 and 68 Parkinson’s disease patients and 40 and 39 healthy controls, respectively. The sensitivity of the algorithm in a controlled measurement setting was 100% and 98.7% for healthy adults and a combined dataset of Parkinson’s disease patients and control subjects, respectively. Correspondingly, the specificity was 74.9% and 81.6%. Visual inspection of the free-living data showed that the algorithm provided durations and timings of walking activities, and walking took place during the daytime as anticipated for subjects with a typical daily rhythm. Median walking times were under ten minutes per hour. The results reached the same performance range as earlier studies with an orientation-independent approach, justifying the feasibility of this method. Therefore, this study validated the use of mean amplitude deviation for walking detection in Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy adults. Future research will utilize the detected walking segments in analyzing the motor symptoms of the disease aiming to improve patient well-being through identifying the needs for additional healthcare interventions.
Kuntoutuksen ammattihenkilöiden huolet digitaalisessa asiakastyössä
The use of digital services in rehabilitation is expanding within the social and healthcare service system alongside national strategies. The increased digital client work imposes new requirements on clients and rehabilitation professionals. Therefore, more information is needed about the role of digital services in rehabilitation. Timely and pathway-integrated digital services can achieve multiple benefits. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the concerns experienced by rehabilitation professionals regarding digital client work. The expert informants in the study were rehabilitation professionals at the Wellbeing Services County of North Savo. The data consisted of responses to an open-ended question about concerns related to digital client work, which was included in an information system survey. The electronic survey was open from December 2024 to January 2025, and 61 rehabilitation professionals responded to the open-ended question. The analysis was carried out using data-driven content analysis. Four unifying categories were formed from the analysed simplified expressions (n=162), each containing 3–4 main classes. The results indicate that rehabilitation professionals have concerns about digital client work. The concerns identified in the results related to technology and devices, digitally conducted assessment, the implementation of digital rehabilitation work, and user-related issues reflect the specific characteristics of rehabilitation work. Healthcare organizations should particularly consider the difficulties in assessing clients’ functional capacity and the interaction in digital rehabilitation services. The best way to achieve this is by involving rehabilitation professionals in developing digital services and digital client work, ensuring that the services are targeted at situations where they provide benefits.
Development of self-rehabilitation technology as a interdisciplinary multi-method study
The Personalized Human Dignity centered Rehabilitation (HuDiRe) -framework has been designed with a foundation in research to acknowledge and uphold human dignity and the importance of a meaningful life. This framework originated from systematic literature reviews and metasynthesis of physiotherapy experiences shared by individuals undergoing rehabilitation for stroke and Multiple sclerosis. Over time, it has been further enhanced to include not only the key elements essential to rehabilitation but also the prerequisites for effective self-rehabilitation technology. Built upon this framework, the self-rehabilitation model is versatile, and it can be applied to both in-person rehabilitation sessions and remote self-rehabilitation, leveraging various technological solutions. The unique value of this model lies in its ability to spotlight meaningful aspects of the rehabilitation journey from the perspective of the individual in rehabilitation. Collaboration with IT-professionals enables the development of self-rehabilitation technology model on the HuDiRe-framework, considering the user experiences of different end users.
User experiences of a mobile hospital clowning application: User-based evaluation with hospitalized children
When developing digital health (eHealth) services targeted for pediatric patients, it is important to consider the needs and experiences of children as the end-users of the applications. However, hospitalized pediatric patients constitute a unique and vulnerable user group, and involving them in user-based evaluation studies presents specific challenges. Our aim was to study hospitalized pediatric patients’ user experience (UX) of a recently launched mobile hospital clowning application and to increase understanding of challenges related to studies with this special user group. Thus, we designed and conducted a user-based evaluation study with pediatric patients. The study data was gathered using remote interviews (n=3 participants) and an online questionnaire (n=6 respondents) in spring 2023. Based on the initial evaluation findings, the participants had positive UX with the application and found it easy to use. However, technical difficulties and improvement requests, particularly regarding the child-clown messaging and communication features, were also identified. Based on the reported study, our key learnings and recommendations for conducting user-based evaluations with hospitalized pediatric patients include: careful planning of ethical approval and a research permit for a non-medical study, employing multiple approaches for recruiting participants, adjusting research methods to suit for children, pilot testing the methods, and involving parents to help and assist the child participants. Despite challenges in study set-up, our evaluation resulted in usability and UX findings as well as areas for development for the hospital clowning application. This indicates that valuable insights on UX can emerge even from a small number of pediatric patients. Future work should focus on establishing sound practices for involving hospitalized pediatric patients in user-based evaluations of digital services and enhancing collaboration between researchers and children’s hospitals.
The relationship between attitudes, emotions and the intention to use the digital rehabilitation solution: Insights from Rwandan rehabilitation professionals
Limited access to rehabilitation is a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Digital rehabilitation (DR) has the potential to decrease this gap by offering effective and safe rehabilitation services for clients. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between rehabilitation professionals’ emotions and attitudes and intention to use the DR solution. Data was collected during two time periods in Rwanda: from July to November 2022, and from October 2023 to January 2024. A total of 58 rehabilitation professionals (67% men) completed the online survey at the beginning of the implementation of the DR solution and out of those, 23 (40%) responded to the follow-up survey. Attitudes were explored using Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health (ITASH), divided into three categories: 1) negative, 2) neutral, and 3) positive. Emotions were explored using an emotional scale with two factors “distress” and “positive arousal”. The intention to use the DR solution was assessed using a seven-point Likert scale, divided into three categories: 1) will not continue (points 1 to 3), 2) neutral (point 4), and 3) will continue (points 5 to 7). Crosstabs and Chi-Square were used to evaluate dependence between attitude and intention to use the DR solution. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between distress and positive arousal and intention to use the DR solution. Initially 91% of respondents had a positive attitude toward DR (M = 64, SD = 6.3). and positive attitude remained (M = 57, SD = 7.3, p = .860) at follow-up. A significant relationship between positive attitude and intention to use the DR solution (ꭓ2 = 18.33, p < 0.001) was found. Positive arousal was significantly related to a higher intention to use the DR solution (OR = 1.29, p = .008), while distress was not (OR = .89, p = .22). Distress decreased significantly (M = 9.7, SD = 3.0, p = .02) during the follow-up. The results do not definitively determine a relationship between attitudes, emotions, and the use of the DR solutions. However, positive emotions and attitudes appear to be linked to a higher intention to use the DR solution. Further research with a larger population is needed to confirm the relationship between emotions, attitudes, and use of the DR solutions in LMIC context.
Lectio praecursoria, The Digi-HTA, a new health technology assessment model for digital health technologies
Leveraging digital twin technology for healthcare: Mapping potential benefits and impacts through a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy case study
Recognized as a strategic innovation trend, Digital Twin (DT) technology has successfully been applied across various sectors and are now also emerging in healthcare. The HEU project SMASH-HCM explores the potential of DTs to enhance personalized healthcare, focusing on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is the most common inherited cardiac disorder, leading to variety of symptoms, and potentially sudden cardiac death. SMASH-HCM is formed by 8 research partners, 3 hospitals, 3 SMEs, and a global health-technology corporation in collaboration with patients. The project will develop a DT platform to dramatically improve HCM stratification by integrating multilevel and multiorgan dynamic biophysical and data-driven models into a three-level deep phenotyping approach. SMASH-HCM advances the state of the art in human DTs by utilising in-vitro tools, in-silico models from the molecular to systemic levels, structured and unstructured data analysis, and explainable artificial intelligence - all integrated into a decision support solution for both healthcare professionals and patients. Early results include identification of clinical needs elicited from HCM specialists and turned into functional requirements for the platform. We have also made progress towards developing in-vitro models including HCM patient cell lines and in-vitro cardiac tissue models, as well as the first line of HCM in-silico models of the cellular electrophysiology, biomechanics and energetics from the cell level to patient whole heart and vascular responses. The application of DT in HCM supports transition to P4 (predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory) medicine.
Defining functional requirements for a self-management solution for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy patients – a multi-stakeholder multi-framework approach
The SMASH-HCM project seeks to advance the management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) through the creation of a human digital-twin-based platform. The aim of the work described in this paper is to carry out the first step of developing the platform: the collection of design and functional requirements together with the end-users. This study focuses on defining the functional requirements for a digital health solution aimed at enhancing HCM patient self-management within this project. Drawing on Requirements Engineering principles, the work integrates key concepts such as health literacy, personalisation, behaviour change frameworks, and gamification to ensure the platform aligns with patient and clinical needs. The methodology included a literature review, development of user personas through AI-assisted techniques, and structured user story mapping. Engagement with clinicians and patient advocates provided critical insights, and frameworks such as the Behaviour Change Wheel and Octalysis were applied to inform the design process and improve user engagement. The analysis resulted in 19 design requirements for overall usability and usefulness of an HCM platform designed from a patient perspective and 19 functional requirements that address core aspects of HCM management and the patient’s preferences and needs. These include the development of interactive educational tools, features for monitoring health and lifestyle data, risk assessment visualisation, and improved communication channels between patients and clinicians. The findings emphasise the importance of intuitive, accessible, and effective tools to encourage sustained engagement and empower patients to manage their condition. By incorporating user-centred design principles and aligning with clinical objectives, the proposed solution aims to facilitate better health outcomes and long-term patient engagement.
Perceptions of AI competence in social and healthcare services: Readiness, reliance and realism
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the health and social service environment through increasingly advanced and autonomous digital solutions. AI competence is recognized as an emerging dimension of digital competence, leading to a growing demand for AI-related skills among health and social service professionals (HSPs). In this study, AI competence is viewed as an orientation towards understanding and learning about AI in different professional contexts, including AI ethics, the ability to apply AI, and the perceived AI self-efficacy. The research questions were as follows: 1) How do HSPs evaluate the level of their AI competence? and 2) Does qualitative and quantitative work experience correlate with the perceived AI competence? The study used survey data collected in 2024 by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Finland. The sample comprised 735 HSPs, approximately one-fifth of whom had supervisory duties, while approximately 60% worked primarily in customer or patient care. The respondents perceived AI as a crucial component of overall digital competence. However, they also expressed that their current level of competence, for example, in the ethical implementation of AI, was insufficient relative to the growing importance of AI technologies in everyday work. HSPs with 16–20 years of work experience exhibited the greatest AI competence deficit. In an occupational comparison, AI competence deficit was less probable among practical nurses, likely due to the well-established role of health technologies in their education in Finland. To enhance AI competence among HSPs, national and regional collaboration with educational institutions should be strengthened, incorporating both formal and informal learning opportunities.
The development of public online services for assessing diet quality, having automated feedback, and getting support for dietary changes: the Finnish Nutrition Navigator and the Finnish Nutrition Path (Ravitsemusnavigaattori and Ravitsemuspolku)
Nutrition is one of the most important factors in the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. However, most Finns do not adhere to the nutrition recommendations. Furthermore, there are no commonly used digital dietary screener tools to measure and report diet quality. No such open tools or reliable consumer-oriented nutrition websites exist either for consumers interested in their quality of diet. Two public online services were created including (1) a web app to measure diet quality with automated personalized feedback system based on the scientifically validated Healthy Diet Index (HDI) and nutrition recommendations, and (2) a website for a self-care path to support the individual in making dietary changes. We utilized service design, several user and expert interviews and feedback questionnaires in the development. The work is part of the National and North Savo regional FOODNUTRI projects funded by Research Council of Finland and North Savo Regional Council, co-funded by the European Union. The Finnish Nutrition Navigator and the Finnish Nutrition Path were launched in November 2024 (in Finnish). The services are publicly available at no cost, targeted at adults aged 18–75 years. Services can be used independently or with a professional. The professional can guide the patient/citizen to fill in the dietary questionnaire in the Finnish Nutrition Navigator from which the user will get the automated feedback and a code. The user can give the code to the professional so that the information about the diet quality can be utilized and marked in a standard form. The Finnish Nutrition Path gives information and support for dietary changes. The online services support (1) consumers seeking help with their diet, (2) health care and wellbeing professionals in dietary screening and nutrition counseling, (3) researchers to collect data on diet quality, and (4) health promoting sector to utilize data on population diet quality for reporting and planning and measuring effectiveness of health promotion actions. Using the services would standardize dietary assessment and documentation and provide evidence-based information of diet quality for consumers. The data collected can be used to study diet quality of the Finnish adults and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of nutrition and lifestyle counseling, allocate resources in health care, and support work to promote health and wellbeing.