toteutus mavidi

Patient Learning Center Soppi

Hyvinkää Hospital

Hyvinkää Hospital is a district hospital treating acute medical cases in a nursing region with 160,000 inhabitants. At Hyvinkää Hospital is Learning Center Soppi, which we are introducing in this paper. It is the first one of its kind in Finland. The abbreviation ‘Soppi', which refers to a small and peaceful space, is derived from its Finnish name Potila soppi miskeskus. Learning Center Soppi began operating on 1 April 2000.

At Soppi, patients and their families can find the information they need on the illness itself, how to cope with it, and the treatments available. Soppi's function is to augment the basic advice and care given in the Wards. As periods of hospitalisation become shorter, many questions may remain unasked, let alone answered, before the patient has returned home. The patient can always return to Soppi to find answers to the remaining questions. Similarly, a patient waiting to be admitted to hospital may find information on the issues troubling or worrying him. The objective of this service is to create and reinforce positive attitudes to treatment among patients, and to alleviate their fears and uncertainties about the illness.

In addition to a specialised library, any necessary technical instructional and learning tools are available on the premises of Learning Center Soppi. Patients are free to make use of up-to-date information in the form of books, periodicals, video cassettes and Internet access at Soppi. The learning material available at Soppi includes presentations of most Finnish social and health care service organisations, and details of their services.

A qualified nurse, assisted by a multidisciplinary network of professional practitioners, is working at Soppi. Her parallel function is that of a patient ombudsman. Finding information is a key factor for the patient in exercising his rights as a patient, and the right to genuine self-determination of his treatment. It is therefore quite natural to have a patient ombudsman in attendance at Soppi.

Making use of information technology in patient counselling is one of Soppi's main areas of continued development. The services available on the Internet are not yet accessible to everybody. Soppi reduces inequality of this kind by offering Internet access and guidance in using the Internet. The information found on the Internet is frequently made use of. Soppi's PCs carry files of the Internet addresses of favourite sites, compiled for each field of specialisation according to the classification of medical specialities. The links on the listed web pages have been checked by the person in charge of each field of specialisation.

Due to the enormous volume of information found on the Internet, it's reliability poses a problem. It is therefore important that an expert has checked the information, and that the data extracted can be discussed with the nurse in attendance, whenever necessary.

The services available at Soppi are free of charge to patients, who need not book a time for consultations etc. Soppi is designed to serve all the inhabitants of the municipalities in the Hyvinkää Hospital Region, whether or not they are patients.

Judging by the large number of visitors to Soppi, there is reason to assume that the provision of such services would also be needed elsewhere in Finland. Similar learning centres are being planned at other Finnish hospitals to facilitate and promote good patient care.