Good health and well-being
We produce data-driven integrated healthcare and ensure the most effective prevention and care. Integrated care enables us to combine various aspects of healthcare into an effective whole. All members of our person-nel are responsible for ensuring that our customers receive appropriate, high-quality and safe care. We aim to stand out by providing an outstanding experience in all customer encounters, regardless of the channel. We develop our operations by listening to our customers and utilising new technology. We continuously measure the benefit to the customer and the effectiveness of care.
The quality and effectiveness of care are at the core of Terveystalo’s operations
Terveystalo wants to be extensively involved in the renewal of healthcare, the prevention of diseases and promoting well-being. As the largest private healthcare service provider in Finland and one of the leading occupational health providers in the Nordic region, Terveystalo has an extensive impact on the healthcare sector in Finland and Sweden. In 2023, Terveystalo had a total of 1.2 million customers, 7.6 customer visits in Finland, and 1.8 million occupational healthcare customers in the Nordic region.
The core of Terveystalo’s operations and the company’s key positive impact is the provision of appropriate, high-quality, effective and safe care for all customers. Terveystalo is a pioneer in data-driven integrated care, which means that Terveystalo uses data to support care and the targeting of prevention, engages in effective prevention, provides quick access to care, connects the different stages of care into smooth multidisciplinary and multichannel care paths, actively guides customers and patients, supports the continuity of care, and continuously measures the benefit to the customer and the effectiveness of care. In addition to healthcare professionals, Terveystalo’s digital solutions play a key role in integrated care paths and their development.
Terveystalo’s sustainability is built around the effectiveness of its operations at the level of society as a whole, including healthcare services, maintaining work ability, the prevention of diseases, and the development of the entire healthcare sector. High-quality occupational healthcare based on the integrated care approach helps to prevent diseases and provide early intervention, which reduces the number of sickness absences and saves costs for client companies. The brief psychotherapy care path in occupational health developed by Terveystalo improves the mental health of customers while reducing sickness absences related to mental health. These services have significantly reduced sickness absences associated with mental health problems. Terveystalo’s smooth integrated care paths and digital services enable faster access to care. Cooperation and partnerships with the public sector provide solutions for improving access to care.
Patient safety is the foundation of the quality of care. It refers to the principles and functions of healthcare personnel and the organisation that ensure the safety of care and protect the patient from injury. From the patient’s perspective, patient safety means that they receive the right treatment at the right time and in the right manner, and that the adverse effects of treatment are minimised. Patient safety risks arise from unexpected occurrences that may cause an adverse event for a customer and, in the case of serious adverse events, make the company liable for damages. Data protection with regard to patient data is an important aspect of patient safety. As digital services in healthcare increase in importance and reshape the industry, the requirements concerning data protection and information security increase accordingly. Read more on data protection on page 68.
Quality is managed at all levels of the organisation
Customer health and well-being are the starting point for the planning of all of Terveystalo’s operations. Quality efforts guided by Terveystalo’s quality management system aim to ensure access to services, safeguard and improve patient safety, provide an excellent and continuously improving customer experience, the realisation of data protection and information security, compliance with recommendations, and developing the effectiveness of treatment. Terveystalo’s operations are guided by the company’s operating policy, quality policy, internal control and risk management policy, self-monitoring, Code of Conduct, and data protection and information security policy. The harmonised processes and procedures that ensure patient safety and high-quality care are documented in Terveystalo’s integrated management system. Policies and procedures pertaining to the data protection of patient data are documented in the Data Protection Handbook for patient care. Terveystalo’s operations are also guided by the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, the Current Care Guidelines and the laws and regulations governing the industry and the operations of private service providers, and customer agreements. The key policies that guide operations are described below. Terveystalo’s Code of Conduct, internal control and risk management policy and data protection and information security policy are described in the section Ethical business.
Operating and quality policy
In all of its activities, Terveystalo is committed to the high quality and continuous development of its operations. Terveystalo’s quality efforts are guided by Terveystalo’s mission, values and strategy. Terveystalo’s strategic priorities, harmonised processes and measurability help steer operations toward consistent high quality. The continuous improvement of operations is an essential aspect of Terveystalo’s quality efforts.
In accordance with Terveystalo’s quality policy, the company wants to be a leader in the renewal of healthcare.
Terveystalo’s quality targets are to maintain the customer experience at a high level and improve consistency across all channels, ensure that Terveystalo is the most attractive workplace for healthcare professionals, ensure that operations are safe and effective, and ensure Terveystalo’s compliance with national and international good clinical practices.
The cornerstones of Terveystalo’s quality management system are patient safety and the national legislation governing the industry. In accordance with the quality management system, quality is managed on all levels of the organisation. Terveystalo actively measures, monitors and manages quality. Patient safety is managed by monitoring the number of procedure and clinic-specific post-surgery infections, hazardous events, official requests for clarifications, and the decisions of the Patient Insurance Centre, among other measures. Through service development and improving the efficiency of operations, Terveystalo ensures the best possible working conditions for its professionals and a good and effective service experience for its customers. Quality comprises clinical, operational and experienced quality.
We divide our quality-related work into four areas:
- Clinical quality
Health care must be based on evidence and good care and operating practices, and it must be high quality, safe and appropriately implemented. At Terveystalo, we actively monitor, measure and manage clinical quality. - Operational efficiency
Streamlined processes ensure the smart allocation of resources and the reliability of operations. All services provided by Terveystalo are based on our comprehensive and certified quality management system. Our customers can always trust the quality of our care, the smooth use of services, and the efficiency and safety of our services. In addition, we promote pleasant and efficient everyday life by developing our expertise and management. Our comprehensive network, digital tools and extensive service range constitute a platform for providing efficient, personal and local services for customers. - The customer’s experienced quality
The customer’s experience is always personal and develops through every encounter. It is important to us that customers receive the care they need without delay and they are encouraged to make choices that promote their well-being. Our objective is to be the preferred provider of healthcare services for all customer groups. - The professional’s experienced quality
We believe that satisfied employees provide a better customer experience in customer encounters, and so enhancing customer satisfaction. The realization of the strategy requires that we are able to attract qualified and motivated health care professionals to Terveystalo and retain them. This enables us to achieve clinical quality, superior service experienceand operational efficiency
Self-regulation
The Act on the Supervision of Social Welfare and Health Care (741/2023) requires the Service Provider to monitor the quality and appropriateness of its own operations and those of its subcontractors, as well as customer and patient safety.
According to Section 26 of the Supervision Act, a service provider and a service provider providing services in more than one service unit must draw up an electronic self-monitoring programme for the tasks and services for which they are responsible and publish it on a public information network or in another way that promotes publicity. The self-monitoring programme of the service provider shall cover all the service units of the service provider.
According to Section 27 of the Supervision Act, the service provider must draw up a self-monitoring plan for each service unit to ensure the quality, appropriateness and safety of daily operations and to monitor the adequacy of the personnel involved in client and patient work, which covers all services provided in the service unit by the service provider and on its behalf.
The self-monitoring plan must include a description of the procedure for reporting and learning from incidents. The service provider shall draw up the self-monitoring plan in electronic form and publish it on a public information network or by any other means conducive to its publicity, and shall keep the self-monitoring plan publicly available in the service facility.
Section 27 of the Supervision Act 741/2023 requires that the implementation of the activities described in the service unit's self-monitoring plan must be monitored and any shortcomings detected in the monitoring must be corrected. A report on the monitoring must be drawn up and any changes based on it must be published every four months on a public information network or in another manner that promotes public access to the information, and must be kept on public display in the service unit.
In addition, according to Section 26 of the Surveillance Act, the self-monitoring programme and the findings based on the monitoring of the implementation of the self-monitoring programme and the measures taken on the basis thereof must be published every four months on a public information network or by other means that promote their publicity.
At Terveystalo, we regularly monitor the implementation of the activities described in the self-monitoring programme and plan. The implementation is monitored, for example, through feedback from customers and patients, a recommendation index, treatment effectiveness indicators, and quality and patient safety indicators.
In this section, we publish every 4 months a report on the monitoring of the self-monitoring plan.
Self-monitoring plan and reporting of monitoring of private service providers operating in Terveystalo
Health care professionals working at Terveystalo are committed to following Terveystalo's self-monitoring plan. Private service providers (such as entrepreneurs and limited companies) must also draw up their own self-monitoring plan. In accordance with the contract with the service provider, they will follow generally accepted medical principles, practices and processes and use the tools provided by Terveystalo. Terveystalo and the service provider are each independently responsible for their own activities directly to patients, authorities and other parties, unless otherwise provided by law in certain cases.
You can request the self-monitoring plan and report for private service providers by emailing omavalvonta@terveystalo.com.
Targets for quality and effectiveness of care
Terveystalo has defined three key targets to promote the achievement of Terveystalo’s quality objectives. Two of the targets are also included in the sustainability-linked financing framework published in 2023.
Effective care to mental health issues
Mental health issues are among the three most common diagnosis categories in Terveystalo and are a significant cause of human suffering, related sickness absences, and early retirement in Finland. Providing appropriate and effective treatment for mental health issues is one of the priorities of Terveystalo's medical quality development. Patients who receive brief psychotherapy recover faster than those given only sick leave and/or medication. Patients who go through brief psychotherapy also have fewer sickness absences. Terveystalo aims to increase the use of brief psychotherapy in occupational healthcare in the treatment of people diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders. When more patients receive care at an early stage, resources for long-term rehabilitative psychotherapy are freed up for those who need it due to the severity of their condition. Terveystalo has systematically developed mental health care paths and increased the proportion of patients referred to brief psychotherapy.
Terveystalo’s target is to increase the share of occupational healthcare patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression and who are referred to brief psychotherapy to 25 percent by 2026. Going up from the current level to 25 percent is an ambitious goal, as the number of people suffering from depression or anxiety increases every year. Achieving the target will require the further development of processes, as well as the training and recruitment of professionals.
In 2023, Terveystalo developed a reporting tool that the physicians in charge of each unit can use to review their unit’s progress towards the goal, as well as compare their performance with that of a similar unit, enabling peer development. Terveystalo’s Fokus Mieli special unit also monitors progress towards the goal and supports its achievement by providing training and communicating the importance of the topic, for example. In 2023, the share of occupational health patients referred to brief psychotherapy was 12.6 (8.5) percent of all occupational health patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression. Total number of diagnoses of depression and anxiety in occupational health was 87,335 (80,702). The results achieved in 2023 were in line with the target.
Excellent customer experience
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is Terveystalo’s most important indicator of the quality of the customer experience. Terveystalo aims to stand out by providing an excellent experience in all customer encounters. The company develops its services by listening to customers and utilising new technology. NPS expresses the share of Terveystalo’s patients who would recommend Terveystalo’s services to others. NPS is a sensitive indicator – it reacts quickly to patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The customer experience can be affected by the availability of appointments, staying on schedule, the perceived quality of care, or the duration of the granted sick leave, for example. For this reason, the NPS figure can increase and decrease sharply, and it must be earned every day in every encounter. Terveystalo’s NPS is exceptionally high compared to the industry average (38), and maintaining this performance requires a continuous effort.
Terveystalo’s target is to maintain a customer satisfaction score (NPS) of at least 83. In 2023, the NPS for appointments was 84.8 (82.7).
Effective care at every visit
Terveystalo uses PEI indicator (Patient Enablement Instrument) to measure the appointment-specific effectiveness of care. PEI measures the customer’s perception of coping with their illness or condition after an appointment that is whether the customer feels that they can cope with their symptom or illness much better, better, same as before, or worse after the appointment (on a scale of 1–4). The aim of collecting individual customer feedback is to improve both the customer experience and the professional experience. The PEI indicator is commonly used in primary healthcare, and it has been selected by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) as one of the key indicators for measuring the effectiveness of Finnish healthcare in the future.
Terveystalo’s target is to maintain an appointment-specific PEI index of at least 2.9. In 2023, the PEI index was 2.9 (2.9). Approximately 60 percent of Terveystalo's customers feel they cope better or much better with their illness after an appointment.
| Target | Indicator (KPI) | Scope of application | Target level | Target year | Base year | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Increase the share of occupational healthcare patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression and who are referred to brief psychotherapy to 25% by 2026 1) | The share of occupational healthcare patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression and who are referred to brief psychotherapy | Occupational healthcare customers in Finland | 25 % | 2026 | 2022 | 12,6 % | 8,5 % | 6,2 % |
| Maintain a customer satisfaction score (NPS) of at least 83 2) | NPS (Net Promoter Score) for appointments | Terveystalo’s customers, who have visited appointments in Finland | At least 83 | Continuous | 2022 | 84,8 | 82,7 | 83,0 |
| Maintain an appointment-specific PEI index 3) of at least 2.9 | PEI index (Patient Enablement Instrument) | Terveystalo’s customers who have visited doctor's appointments in Finland | At least 2.9 | Continuous | 2022 | 2,9 | 2,9 | - |
| 1) Occupational healthcare patients with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety and who are referred to brief psychotherapy / Occupational healthcare patients with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. | ||||||||
| 2) NPS measures the individual patient's experience of the service received shortly after the service experience. The patient is asked to assess how likely (on a scale of 0–10) they are to recommend Terveystalo’s services. The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the share of those who gave a score of 0–6 (detractors) from the share of those gave a score of 9–10 (promoters). | ||||||||
| 3) The PEI index (Patient Enablement Instrument) is used to measure whether the customer feels that they are able to cope with their symptom or illness much better, better, same as before, or worse after the appointment. The scale is 1–4. | ||||||||
Other indicators of the quality of care
In addition to the above targets, Terveystalo continuously measures its clinical, experienced and process results based on international best practices.
The quality index comprises seven key indicators:
- use of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in surgical operations
- prescriptions for drugs affecting the central nervous system relative to the number of physician’s appointments
- duration of sickness absence issued on the day of operation for repair of the rotator cuff and the anterior cruciate ligament
- percentage of preventive work of occupational health appointments
- availability of care as measured by T3 (the third available appointment)
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) for appointments
- employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
Terveystalo publishes its continuously updated quality indicators here. The achievement of the quality targets is monitored by Terveystalo’s Quality Steering Group quarterly through the quality indicators.
Terveystalo performs surgical operations at 18 hospital units. The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is used systematically before the start of each procedure. The standard list of questions is used to check safety issues relevant to the surgical procedure. In 2023, the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist was used in 99.2 (98.9) percent of the surgical operations performed.
When used appropriately, drugs affecting the central nervous system are effective and necessary. However, because of their adverse effects, their use requires careful discretion by a physician. Terveystalo has a special project aimed at promoting the safe use of drugs affecting the central nervous system according to clinical guidelines in patient care. To harmonise prescription practices, Terveystalo has prepared detailed guidelines for prescribing drugs affecting the central nervous system based on legislation, the Current Care Guidelines, Smart to Avoid Recommendations, guidelines issued by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, and operating models proven in clinical work. In 2023, Terveystalo clinics wrote prescriptions for drugs affecting the central nervous system for 4.1 (4.0) percent of physician’s appointments.
Surgical operations aim to provide swift high-quality care pursuant to care criteria to quickly restore the patient’s functional capacity and ability to work. The treatment chain for surgery patients is developed systematically. Terveystalo’s aim is to enable faster recovery and return to work. Correctly prepared surgery implemented without delay as well as a plan for early rehabilitation and return to work play a key role in this. The average length of sickness absence issued on the day of operation for surgical repair of the rotator cuff and the anterior cruciate ligament was 30 (30) days in 2023.
Work not carried out is expensive for companies. Therefore, it pays to invest in work ability management through preventive measures. Effective work ability management requires that organisations know what kinds of risks to work ability they are managing. Terveystalo uses targeted health examinations to survey the client organisation’s health and work ability risks and obtain information to support the management efforts. In addition, an electronic and scientifically validated self-assessment health survey is always completed by employees in connection with occupational health examinations. Based on the survey, Terveystalo can identify potential risks related to health and work ability. The survey also enables the targeting of measures at individuals with significant risks. In 2023, preventive work accounted for 72.1 (69.6) percent of all of Terveystalo’s occupational health appointments.
Terveystalo aims to continuously develop access to care by managing the balance between supply and demand, as well as by developing digital services and the work of healthcare professionals. The availability of care is measured by the T3 indicator, which is the number of days until the third available non-urgent appointment at Terveystalo’s clinics. The T3 indicator for appointments with a physician was 1.8 (1.9) in 2023. Access to care is improved by the availability of 24/7 digital appointments with a general practitioner, which are offered in addition to in-person appointments. The waiting time for a digital appointments is measured in seconds on average. Digital mental well-being services also lower the threshold for seeking treatment.
We aim to stand out by providing an excellent experience in all customer encounters. We develop our work by listening to our customers and utilizing technology. NPS (Net Promoter Score) is our most important indicator of customer satisfaction. We collect feedback with SMS and browser-based surveys, and we are continuously adding NPS measurements at new customer encounter points.
The NPS for appointments was 84.8 (82.7) in 2023. The NPS for hospital services remained at a high level at 94.5 (95.1).
Terveystalo’s aim is to be the most attractive workplace for professionals. The professional survey is one of Terveystalo’s most important tools for improving internal procedures and supervisor work. The survey is aimed at all of Terveystalo’s professionals in, including private practitioners. In the survey, the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is used as a key indicator. The eNPS figure indicates the proportion of the employees and private practitioners who would recommend Terveystalo as a workplace to others. In the 2023 professional survey, the eNPS recommendation index in Finland was 18 (29). In 2023, Terveystalo implemented changes to its operating model and streamlined organisational structures in connection with a profit improvement program. The decrease in the eNPS indicator is partly due to those changes. In spite of the decrease in the eNPS indicator, Terveystalo received increasingly favorable scores for its long-term strengths, including the activities of work communities, cooperation in teams and the work of immediate supervisors. The score indicating the personnel’s willingness to continue to work at Terveystalo also remained at a good level. The target is for the eNPS indicator to be at least 25 in 2025.
Patient safety is the foundation of the quality of care. It refers to the principles and functions of healthcare personnel and the organization that ensure the safety of care and protect the patient from injury. From the patient’s perspective, patient safety means that they receive the right treatment at the right time and in the right manner, and that the adverse effects of treatment are minimised. Patient safety risks arise from unexpected occurrences that may cause an adverse event for a customer and, in the case of serious adverse events, make the company liable for damages. In 2023, the ratio of reimbursed patient claims to the total number of appointments with a physician was 0.0016 (0.0016) percent, and the indicator of near misses/hazardous incidents was 54.3 (56.9) percent.
Continuity of care has been shown to improve both customer and professional satisfaction and is a key factor in the quality and effectiveness of care. It is also increasingly a topic in the societal debate on healthcare development. For example, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health identified continuity of care as the most important issue for improving primary healthcare in its report on the development of primary healthcare1). Terveystalo has been measuring continuity of care since the beginning of 2023 and has published the results on its website. Continuity of care is measured using COCI (Continuity of Care Index), which describes the dispersion of patient visits between different professionals over a measured period on a scale of 0 to 1. A value of 0 means that the patient sees a new professional at each visit and a value of 1 means that the same professional is present at each visit. In Finnish health centres, the average COCI value is 0.3. In Terveystalo, the average COCI value in 2023 was 0.77. The target is an index value of 0.5.
1) Ministry of Social Affairs and Health publication 2022 “System for continuity of care, Final report of the Personal Doctor 2.0 survey”
In the autumn of 2023, all of Terveystalo’s occupational health customers were given access to the Symptom Assessment tool, a CE-marked medical device that makes the use of occupational healthcare services significantly smoother in the event of illness. The Symptom Assessment tool refers the customer to the right specialist and the right channel in a timely manner. The tool also supports the work of healthcare professionals by taking care of certain routine tasks on the professional’s behalf, allowing them to allocate more time to customer encounters.
When a customer has the need to contact their occupational healthcare provider and they use Terveystalo’s digital channels, the customer is first requested to describe their symptoms. Based on the symptoms, the Symptom Assessment tool analyses the answers provided by the customer and refers them to the right specialist and the right channel in a timely manner according to the urgency of the case. The answers provided by the customer are forwarded to the receiving specialist, which speeds up and improves the care the customer receives from the healthcare professional. Terveystalo’s new solution was developed with the aim of making daily life easier for both healthcare professionals and customers.
Thanks to the referral model, the customer does not need to determine who is the right professional to treat their condition and what channel to use. The customer is referred to the appropriate professional and channel based on the answers they provide when using the Symptom Assessment tool. For example, a customer may find the best treatment for musculoskeletal disorders by having a direct appointment with a physiotherapist instead of a physician. Similarly, some conditions can be dealt with remotely, while others clearly call for an in-person appointment.
The new referral model helps alleviate the shortage of physicians and improves access to care and the quality of care. Access to care is improved when customers are referred either to an in-person appointment or remote channels, and to the appropriate occupational healthcare professional, based on their symptoms. In the first round of customer feedback, the Symptom Assessment tool was rated 4 out of 5 for its ease of use. Having technology take over part of the routine tasks allows healthcare professionals to allocate more time to treating customers.
Science-based care guidance has been, and is still being, developed at Terveystalo with the help of common care paths. Care paths are defined by Terveystalo as ways of treating the disease or condition for which the customer has sought treatment based on the Current Care Guidelines and other generally accepted treatment guidelines.
The aims of care paths are to:
- support and speed up the work of professionals
- ensure consistent quality of care, based on recommendations
- ensure that diagnostic examinations and follow-up related to treatment are carried out
- promote health and produce effective treatment
The care path is displayed to the physician as an alert in the patient information system with brief instructions on recommended treatment and follow-up measures based on the working diagnosis. The care paths include diagnostics options applicable to the working diagnosis, such as laboratory examinations and imaging procedures, and instructions on situations where a specialist’s consultation or therapy is recommended. The instructions in the alerts and the recommended examinations and further measures have been prepared and selected in physicians’ workshops. A specialist in each field has also participated in the preparation of the instructions. The customer, in turn, receives instructions on how to prepare for the examinations, as well as self-care instructions, via the Terveystalo app and the online service. Furthermore, for diagnoses for which therapy is recommended in addition to or alongside pharmaceutical interventions, the customer is provided more information on brief psychotherapy and physical therapy that can also be commenced without a referral.
For the patient, all this means a clearer, smoother and more predictable course of treatment. For the professional, care paths provide better tools and clearer and smoother work.
The first care paths defined by Terveystalo were introduced in 2021. At the end of 2023, there were already about 70 care paths in use. Examples include care paths for the treatment of non-specific lower back pain, depression and anxiety, insomnia, brief psychotherapy and children’s lower respiratory tract infections.
In the autumn of 2023, Terveystalo renewed its preventive healthcare by integrating blood analysis technology developed by Nightingale Health into occupational health check-ups. By using modern technology, Terveystalo’s Occupational Health will be able to detect the working age population’s disease risks for several common chronic diseases, prevent illnesses and thus significantly reduce the burden on healthcare in the future.
As the largest provider of occupational health services in Finland, Terveystalo looks after the health of more than 700,000 Finns of working age. By integrating the blood analysis developed by Nightingale into occupational health check-ups, Terveystalo offers more and more people of working age a view of their personal susceptibility to common chronic diseases and support for lifestyle changes to reduce this susceptibility.
Terveystalo’s medical specialists have chosen the eight most important chronic diseases to be surveyed: heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, chronic kidney failure, COPD, lung cancer and alcoholic liver disease. Nightingale Health’s blood analysis technology brings even more clarity to the work of occupational health professionals. At the same time, it offers an even better opportunity to focus on the customer during appointments, when, to support the clinical work, the professional already has an individual assessment based on metabolic markers of the person’s risk of falling ill with the chronic diseases in question before the appointment.
Nightingale Health’s wide-ranging identification of disease risks significantly increases the effectiveness and benefits of preventive healthcare for both healthcare professionals and customers, as modern health technology helps motivate people to change their lifestyle by concretising their susceptibility to disease.
Common chronic diseases have a direct impact on a person’s work ability and functional capacity, and they require regular monitoring, which places a burden on the healthcare system. A very large proportion of common chronic diseases in people of working age are preventable, but it requires innovative solutions for effective preventive care. Further improving the prevention of common chronic diseases also reduces their negative impact on the economy.
Nightingale’s blood analysis technology is among the world’s most widely used next-generation tools for medical research and preventive health. The technology has been used to analyse approximately two million blood samples to date. Its performance and benefits have been demonstrated in more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific publications and it has passed European healthcare regulatory requirements.
At Terveystalo, patient safety and its continuous development are the foundation of the quality of care. The foundation of patient safety is a good patient safety culture, which means having an open atmosphere in which employees are able to highlight any shortcomings or hazards (near misses/hazardous incidents) they observe in their work treating patients, without fear of sanctions or blame. Shortcomings and hazardous incidents must be addressed openly and carefully to ensure that the incident or problem does not reoccur.
A patient safety survey carried out once every two years is one of the tools for developing patient safety. The last two surveys were carried out in 2023 and 2021. Since the 2021 survey, Terveystalo has introduced a new online course on patient and customer safety, which is mandatory for all employees in care work and personnel whose roles include responsibility for patient safety. The online course had to be completed by the end of 2022. Going forward, it will be retaken once every three years. New employees complete the online course as part of their orientation training.
The goal of the 2023 patient safety survey was to evaluate how patient safety is reflected in Terveystalo’s day-to-day operations and what the personnel’s perceptions are regarding the realisation of patient safety. The survey was aimed at assessing the impacts of the previously taken measures on patient safety and the development of patient safety culture. The 2023 survey was responded to by 1,293 professionals working with patients, 12 percent of whom were physicians. The results of the survey showed that, on a general level, Terveystalo’s patient safety culture is perceived to be good and the related activities are held in high regard. The survey indicated that improvements had been achieved with respect to observing and reporting incidents and being familiar with the reporting system. The respondents indicated that patient safety expertise had improved and patient safety culture was better reflected in the day-to-day operations of clinics. The survey highlighted a wish to better engage all of the personnel in the processing of incidents. The safe use of medical devices was also highlighted as an area for development. The results of the survey have been carefully reviewed in the Patient Safety Working Group and other forums, and the results have been used to identify development areas to focus on going forward.
Terveystalo supports Finland’s newly established wellbeing services counties in the digital transformation by providing modern and easy-to-use digital solutions and highly competent service production for the wellbeing services counties.
In the spring of 2023, the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia chose Terveystalo as its partner to develop a digital platform that serves its residents as well as social welfare and healthcare professionals. The OmaEP digital service provides the residents of the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia with quick access to a nurse via a chat function, for example. In the future, they will also be able to book appointments for the wellbeing services county’s services. Going forward, a growing range of services can be delivered digitally, including messages between customers and professionals concerning treatment instructions and the provision of various preliminary information before an appointment. The OmaEP platform will be the starting point for most of the use of social welfare and healthcare services by the residents of the wellbeing services county of South Ostrobothnia. The aim is to deploy the digital service in 2024 and gradually expands its use thereafter. The OmaEP digital platform will serve as an example to wellbeing services counties on how digital services can further improve quality and efficiency in the provision of social welfare and healthcare services.
Terveystalo can take advantage of the lessons it has learned about the digital transformation in its own business and work together with wellbeing services counties to innovate more effective social welfare and healthcare services in an impactful and cost-efficient manner.
Biobanks make samples and data available to high-quality research and product development projects that aim to find the causes of diseases and promote general health. The goals of Terveystalo’s biobank are the promotion of the population’s health, the identification of factors involved in disease mechanisms, the prevention of diseases and the development of products or treatment practices that promote the population’s well-being or health or that are used in medical care. We investigate the causes of diseases and support the development of products and treatments used in health care. Our biobank also promotes scientific research related to COVID-19. Terveystalo’s biobank has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 quality management system certification.