Finland faces health center closures as staffing shortages impact care delivery

Healthcare personnel should digitalize all tasks that can be transitioned away from humans through technology, says Arja Laitinen, head of care at the Welfare Sector HALI Association, in a recent interview. She emphasizes that this would free up time for meaningful interactions between caregivers and patients.

This summer, Finland is experiencing an unprecedented number of temporary health center closures due to staff shortages. According to a report by Yle, nearly all welfare areas in Finland have seen health centers shut down temporarily. During the discussions on Yle’s morning shows, Laitinen was joined by Sanna Vesikansa, head of crisis operations at Mieli Association.

Laitinen suggests that medication distribution could potentially be handled by robots in the future, which would remind caregivers when to administer medication and prepare the doses in advance. This shift would allow caregivers to dedicate more time to other interactions with patients in settings such as care homes. She underscores that this does not mean robots will completely take over caregiving roles.

Additionally, voice recognition software could alleviate the burden of documentation on healthcare staff. Laitinen notes that caregivers often spend a significant portion of their day logging data on computers, even though documentation is essential. She anticipates that solutions that can recognize speech and input data directly into patient information systems will emerge in the near future.

While Vesikansa sees digitalization as one approach to address the workforce shortage in the social and healthcare sectors, she cautions that not everyone can utilize digital tools effectively.

The staffing challenges leading to summer closures of health centers began three years ago, with at least 120 health centers in mainland Finland partially closed due to personnel shortages. Laitinen indicates that the staffing situation in the private sector is markedly better this summer, with sufficient substitutes and more applicants for permanent positions. She attributes differences in personnel situations to changes initiated by welfare areas, including adjustments in workstations and management. Furthermore, competitive salaries enhance the appeal of private healthcare services.