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E-Service for health and social care

Distance meetings Finland
In Uleåborg, Finland, society offers an e-service for health care and social care. The solution is a 24/7 service in which municipal citizens can manage their own health data and check laboratory results, find reliable wellness data, make appointments with health and social care specialists and consult them.
The solution enables self-care in health and social care, no matter the time or place.
All municipal citizens over 18 years of age. Parents can also make arrangements on behalf of their children under 18 years of age. The service has 104,000 registered users and 14,200 monthly users (2017).
E-service for health and social care 2.jpg
Through the E-service, citizens can manage their own data and professionals can focus more on their assignments

Quotes/testimonials

“Messaging, scheduling and chatting are the mostly used features in Oulu Self Care. Those features make communication possible between citizens and social- and health care professionals. Citizens are pleased with this service, in which they can manage their own welfare data, book appointments and contact professionals. Some of the services that traditionally has been managed by phone or by appointments can now be managed via the website. When chat-feature were added, we did not have to make an extra effort to communicate or educate our citizens, they found the new contact channel and just started using it. And they love it!”

- Anne Rajala, Information Systems Specialist at City of Oulu

Elaboration

Needs and challenges

Health and social care resources can be slight compared to citizens’ needs. There are aspects of health and social care that citizens can address themselves without professional involvement.

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Solution and function

Through the E-service, citizens can manage their own data and professionals can focus more on their assignments. This means that more people receive the care they need in a timely manner.

Citizens can through the service manage their health data and monitor laboratory results, obtain reliable data, conduct meetings with health and health specialists and consult them.

Implementation

Implementing the solution may be challenging. It requires a certain service provider with whom the municipality will co-operate. A degree of reform of the health and social service structure is also required. Citizens need to be notified and trained in using the e-service.

E-Service for health and social care were co-developed in a national project during 2006–2009. Project partners were from both public and private sector. When the project ended the solution was deployed in multiple regions and one of these regions, Oulu, continued developing it.

In December 2018 Oulu Self Care was introduced as one of the ten best practices in EU in the field of utilising digital solutions to support citizens well-being.

 

Economy

Self-care reduces the number of visits and phone calls to professionals by allowing citizens to manage their own data. Costs depend on the required content.

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Process

The organisation makes the decision to deploy the solution and enters into an agreement about usage with the company.

The company notifies the professionals about how the solution is to be used. The organisation must designate a person who will coordinate the anchoring and assist in the implementation process.

More about effects

Self-care is possible on a 24/7 basis and citizens are involved in their own care. Thus, there is pressure to increase employee resources.

The solution reduces costs and citizens receive the service they require in a timely manner.

Learnings

Do you want to know more about the solution?

Download the full description (PDF) »

The solution is easy to use via a website. It supports being independent and taking responsibility for your own care. Signing in requires secure identification: bank identification or mobile certificate. Basic technological skills are sufficient.

For more information about the solution, visit:

https://www.oulunomahoito.fi/

  • The solution can be used in municipalities and is targeted at municipal citizens.
  • The solution can be scaled.
  • The solution can be used across borders. The content can also be tailored to local needs.

City of Oulu

Eila Erkkilä eila.erkkila@ouka.fi

Riikka Hirvasniemi riikka.hirvasniemi@ouka.fi

Oulu Self Care / Oulun omahoito

Oulun kaupunki

Csam Health Finland https://www.csamhealth.com/