Understanding the Change of the Finnish Digital Health and Welfare Ecosystems

Digital transformation, enabled via the evolution of technology and the use of data, has been considered to create new opportunities and benefits for the healthcare industry. Digital transformation is supposed to enable resilient and adaptive approaches to the long-term development of healthcare services and the response to abrupt crises. Based on an empirical study of digital health experts in Finland, this chapter explores the concept of digital health through the lens of complex adaptive systems. It identifies several key capabilities that are essential to advancing digital health. The need to access useful information promptly was recognised as a critical factor. At a national level, policymakers need to pay more attention to data-driven decision-making and invest in interoperability between different systems to utilise better future AI-based digital services and the increasing numbers of health data. There is also a need to utilise non-medical and heterogeneous data to support better treatments and clinical decision-making. At an organisational level, leadership capabilities are needed in healthcare providers and technology companies to support healthcare professionals and policymakers. For these changes to happen, a deeper collaboration is needed in all sectors of the economy that are directly linked with healthcare. Hence, an innovative ecosystem-driven approach is central to advancing digital health in Finland.