Virtuaalisairaala 2.0 produces specialised medical care -related digital healthcare services to citizens, patients and professionals. The project will run from 2016 to 2018.
The different areas of the project are:
- Production and implementation of services: the Terveyskylä.fi ('Virtual village') service offering information, advice, self-care, symptom navigators, digital treatment pathways, and tools for citizens, patients and professionals
- Innovation farm: innovation workshops, piloting, artificial intelligence, IoT, and research and the researcher's tools
- Development of services and changes in operation: development model, developer network and centres of expertise.
Participants and financing
The project is a joint project between the university hospitals in Finland, and their population responsibility and catchment area covers all Finns. The participants in the project include
- the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District HUS, which coordinates the project
- the Pirkanmaa Hospital District
- the Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District
- the Hospital District of Northern Savo
- the Hospital District of Southwest Finland
In the Virtuaalisairaala 2.0 project, primary healthcare in the regions, the hospital districts, the catchment areas for highly specialised medical care and the hospital areas, research institutes, the private sector, and patients and patient organisations work in cooperation. The project is also aimed at supporting the capacity of the counties responsible for organising social and healthcare services to organise client-oriented services.
The project has been granted funding totalling millions of euros by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The total of €12 million consists of €6 million from the key project
Public services will be digitalised in the Government Programme and another €6 million that is funded by the university hospital districts themselves.
Virtual hospital provides better services to more people
The project's central outcome is the Terveyskylä.fi ('Health Village') digital health service. It provides information and support for citizens, care for patients and tools for professionals. The service comprises various themed virtual houses, some of which are already open. By the end of 2018, more than 20 houses and services will be available for more than 30 groups of patients.
The project makes healthcare services available to all Finns regardless of their place of residence and income level, thus improving the equality of citizens. Digital services are especially well suited for monitoring the quality of life, symptoms and lifestyle, and also for living with a long-term illness before and during treatment and in the monitoring stage of the treatment. The services complement the traditional treatment pathways.
Living with a long-term illness can be supported with the help of virtual services, and patients provided with support for self-monitoring. The importance of anticipatory care will also increase and the possibilities for people to maintain their well-being will improve substantially. In addition, digital health services harmonise and develop care processes. At the same time, they make the work in the healthcare sector smoother and more diverse.
