Causes of care discontinuity in chronic outpatient care: A mixed method case study.

Background: While health systems are primarily designed for acute health issues, managing life-long conditions often results in chronic care discontinuity. This refers to situations where a chronic patient's planned care fails to actualise.

Research Design: This study descriptively explores the reasons behind chronic care discontinuity in outpatient care.

Visual Modeling Languages in Patient Pathways: Scoping Review.

Background: Patient pathways (PPs) are presented as a panacea solution to enhance health system functions. It is a complex concept that needs to be described and communicated well. Modeling plays a crucial role in promoting communication, fostering a shared understanding, and streamlining processes.

Patient experiences of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia in the Nordics: a patient journey map.

Central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH) are chronic diseases that significantly impact the lives of affected individuals. We aimed to explore the perspectives of individuals with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2), and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), and the challenges they encounter in their daily lives and within the healthcare systems in the Nordics. Interviews with patients (N = 41) and healthcare professionals (n = 14) and a patient survey (n = 70) were conducted in 2022 in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway to develop a patient journey map that visualises the patient with CDH journey and provides insights into the difficulties faced by these individuals.

Effects of a Digital Care Pathway for Multiple Sclerosis: Observational Study.

Background: Helsinki University Hospital has developed a digital care pathway (DCP) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve the care quality. DCP was designed for especially newly diagnosed patients to support adaptation to a chronic disease.

Objective: This study investigated the MS DCP user behavior and its impact on patient education-mediated changes in health care use, patient-perceived impact of MS on psychological and physical functional health, and patient satisfaction.

A realist evaluation of policy interventions to reduce public subsidies of private dental care in Finland.

Objectives: The Finnish dental care market operates as a dual system, divided between a regulated, affordable public sector and a less regulated, more expensive private sector that receives public subsidies. In 2015 and 2016, two policy interventions were introduced to reduce these subsidies for private dental services. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of these policy changes on the dental care market.

The effect of palliative outpatient units on resource use for cancer patients in Finland.

Background: As cancer incidences are increasing, the means to provide effective palliative care (PC) are called for. There is evidence, that PC may prevent futile treatment at the end of life (EOL) thus implicating that PC decreases resource use at the EOL, however, the effects of outpatient PC units remain largely unknown. We surveyed the national use of Finnish tertiary care PC units and their effects on resource use at the EOL in real-life environments.