The use of digital tools by general practitioners in Finnish public health centres

Kirjoittajat

• Kaisa Kujansivu Tampereen yliopisto; Pihlajalinna
• Elina Tolvanen Tampereen yliopisto, Tampere; Pirkkalan terveyskeskus, Pirkanmaan hyvinvointialue, Pirkkala
• Mervi Kautto Pihlajalinna Oy, Tampere
• Tuomas H. Koskela Tampereen yliopisto, Tampere; Tampereen yliopistollinen sairaala

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.122703

Avainsanat:

eHealth, primary care, implementation, remote consultation, digitalisation, digital tools

Abstrakti

Electronic health services (eHealth) have increased rapidly in the last few years. These services hold the potential to facilitate today’s challenging primary care. The aim of the study was to examine how digitalisation manifests in Finnish health centres in 2021. We aimed to find out which digital tools are used in health centres and how they are exploited. In addition, we were interested in general practitioners’ attitudes towards digitalisation in their everyday work. An online survey was distributed to general practitioners (GPs) working in primary health care centres throughout Finland, and 265 GPs replied. A health portal and various digital calculators were used daily. In remote communication with their patients, general practitioners preferred telephone calls over new tools (chat/video). Attitudes towards eHealth were positive, but digital tools were not yet commonly used. The implementation of digital solutions still needs more effort.