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Safety and security of a digiclinic in a finnish university hospital well-being district

  • Hanna Kuusisto*
  • , Petri Pommelin
  • , Eija Kivekäs
  • , Kaija Saranto
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Scientific › peer-review

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Abstract

Digital health services are largely provided, but little is known about the safety and security issues endangering patient safety and data security. In this study, the Bowtie method was used to analyze incidents reported to have jeopardized patient safety and data security when a patient and a healthcare professional used an online chat or video service (DigiClinic) in the Wellbeing Service County of Pirkanmaa, Finland. In 2025, there were ca. 230,000 conversations in DigiClinic. User reports related to DigiClinic were collected from 2024 and 2025 (N=135), of which all resulted in harm: minor (n=117), moderate (n=16), or severe (n=2). Only 2 incidents were due to patients' inability to use the digital service, and 22 were due to technical problems. In conclusion, DigiClinic is a widely used digital healthcare service with a low number of user reports. The primary cause leading to patient harm is deviations in information management across levels. The digital service itself does not compromise patient safety or data security.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHealth Sciences Informatics Leads and Empowers the Digital Health Transformation
Subtitle of host publication24th International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare, ICIMTH 2026
EditorsJohn Mantas, Arie Hasman, Parisis Gallos, Reinhold Haux, Konstantinos Karitis
PublisherIOS Press BV
Pages46-50
Number of pages5
ISBN (Electronic)9781643686684
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Jun 2026
Publication typeA4 Article in conference proceedings
EventInternational Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare - Athens, Greece
Duration: 3 Jul 2026 → 5 Jul 2026

Publication series

NameStudies in Health Technology and Informatics
Volume338
ISSN (Print)0926-9630
ISSN (Electronic)1879-8365

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityAthens
Period3/07/26 → 5/07/26

Keywords

  • Confidentiality
  • Data Security
  • eHealth
  • Mobile health
  • Patient Safety

Publication forum classification

  • Publication forum level 1

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Health Informatics
  • Health Information Management

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