On the other hand, digital technologies offer more opportunities for preventive healthcare and self-care for patients, so fewer patients need medical consultation. If used correctly, smart technology can provide health care entities with the tools to reduce costs, improve accessibility and treatment outcomes, boost patient satisfaction, and prevent individual public health risks. However, progress will need to be made in efficiently and securely exploiting the existing data.

More health data is available than ever before, and the volume of data is constantly growing as health care services switch to digital technologies. However, this data is not yet utilised optimally for patient-specific treatment.

There is so much data that carers simply do not have the resources to analyse it all. However, machines can do things that humans cannot. Artificial intelligence can combine and analyse patient-specific data and helps identify any red flags in time.

For example, the patient information systems on the public health care sector often already show all the information for a specific patient. However, it still lacks conclusions and patient-specific steering on the basis of the existing data. More effective use of data can promote early diagnosis and preventive support for the individual’s health. Society has the potential to save huge amounts of resources if it can transition from reactive health care towards a proactive approach.

Patient safety first

Patient data is currently dispersed across multiple environments, making it difficult to use the available data to its full potential and combine it to help make relevant decisions. Furthermore, the sensitive and critical nature of the data processed in health care and the constant evolution of regulatory measures call for a deep understanding of the type of data being processed and the ways of managing it to ensure patient safety, even under abnormal circumstances.

Smart technologies alone are not enough; changes in infrastructure and ecosystems are also required.

The health care sector operators now have a great opportunity to develop these matters. Patients must be able to trust that their personal data will not be disclosed to third parties under any circumstances. It is also important to ensure that health care professionals have enough information to treat their patients in case of a system failure. This demands an understanding of what data is critical for patient safety and how it should be protected and tested to ensure the operations are resilient and patients are safe, even in the worst-case scenario.

Trust through transparency

Tietoevry’s solutions based on open data promote health care innovation and service effectiveness. Multi-cloud services allow data to be used securely and located in a public or sovereign cloud, depending on the criticality of the data.

We help our customers to classify data, protect information and restrict access as required according to the type of data. At the same time, our hybrid cloud services enable data integration in a way that ensures integrity and immediate availability with best-in-class data protection. Our solutions enable our customers to communicate transparently and reliably with patients, leading to a lower threshold for disclosing health data to organisations.

Learn more about digital sovereignty here and hear us talk about the subject in-depth with customers and partners on Tietoevry’s Tech Talks 7th March, 2023 in Finland.

Author, Mari Korhonen