Reponen, Jarmo

Abstract:

Mobile Solutions in the health sector in Finland

Finland is currently involved in an ambitious health care ICT development process. As a part of the National Health Project organised by the government, there is a plan for interoperability between all the various electronic patient record (EPR) systems before the year 2007. A common core data set of patient information and usage of established standards will make electronic referrals between EPR systems possible.

Oulu University hospital has been utilizing a distributable medical record for nearly ten years. Primary and secondary care can share patient data in a safe intranet. In web-based environment, wireless technology has had a premier role. The first medical multimedia terminal in the world capable of showing diagnostic quality radiological images and patient narratives in a smartphone terminal was developed in MOMEDA project funded by EU since 1998. This was further developed in IST project PROMODAS and has been successfully utilized by neurosurgeons since year 2000. The evaluation results show that this mobile approach is highly feasible.

Another highlight of the wireless technology is the mobile Evidence Based Medicine guidebook developed by medical society Duodecim. The idea is to provide updated medical knowledge and clinical decision support to the smartphone terminals. The information is based on a database which has been developed for more than ten years. The Finnish EBM database is already in daily use in nearly all the Finnish hospitals and primary health centres and the mobile solution now gives the possibility to carry it to the bedside.