In this blog, we will review the symptom assessments made at the Ostrobothnian Welfare Area nurse's chat reception. Contacts related to respiratory tract infections and respiratory symptoms were by far the most common symptom group (26 % Symptoms assessment). Other common symptom groups included skin and allergy symptoms (12 %), musculoskeletal symptoms (11 %), abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms (10 %) and urinary and genital symptoms (8 %).

In the Ostrobothnia Welfare Area, an extensive nurse's chat reception ended in January 2026 randomised experiment. At the household level, the population of the area was randomised to experimental and control groups, from which the experimental group gained access to the new digital service channel for a nine-month pilot period. After the end of the pilot period, the service was opened to the entire population of the wellbeing services county on 15 January 2026. The impact assessment of the experiment is currently underway and the results will be published during the spring.

In this blog, we will focus on the symptom assessments filled out at the chat reception that precede the chat conversation. The Ostrobothnia chat service includes a standardized service provided by JST Healthcare Solutions Oy Preliminary information survey, to be completed prior to professional contact.

Digital Standardised Preliminary Data Survey frees up time for professionals to ask routine questions and harmonises the assessment of the need for care

The aim of the preliminary data survey is to form as accurate a picture of the patient's symptoms as possible in advance. The final diagnosis of the client may change after additional information provided by the patient and possible further examinations. Symptom evaluations form a research-interesting dataset alongside the manual diagnostic recordings made by the professional, as they are generated automatically and in a standardised manner based on the answers provided by the customer. Thank you to JST and the Ostrobothnian Welfare Area for the material!

Based on previous research literature, digital clinics highlight acute and fairly clearly delineated ailments

According to a study based on data from the Päijät-Häme Welfare Area, the most commonly treated ailments in the digital clinic were acute respiratory infections, dermatological problems and urinary tract infections (Dahlberg et al., 2025). In addition, contacts related to throat and eye symptoms were highlighted among the general contacts. Lakoman et al. (2024) in the study from Länsi-Pohja (Kemi, Tornio and Keminmaa), the most common diagnoses in patients who used the service occasionally were conjunctivitis (12 %), acute upper respiratory tract infection (9 %) and acute cystitis (8 %). Similar observations have also been made in a recent Swedish study, where digital consultations with doctors were most commonly divided into diagnoses related to respiratory infections, skin diseases and reproductive organs (Ellegård et al., 2026).

Figure 1: Proportion of different symptom groups in the assessment of symptoms.

Respiratory tract infections and respiratory symptoms are highlighted in the data

We reviewed the symptom assessments completed between 5/2025 and 1/2026 (11/2025 is still missing). The data includes a total of 6,065 symptom assessments, which were divided into 583 symptom starting groups. Using the Claude language model, we grouped these into fifteen symptom groups. The results are shown in Figure 1.

Respiratory tract infections and respiratory symptoms covered 26 % of all symptom evaluations (N = 1,599), forming by far the most common symptom group. The next most common symptom groups were skin diseases and allergies (11.5 %; N = 696), musculoskeletal symptoms (10.8 %; N = 653), abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms (9.7 %; N = 589) and urinary and genital symptoms (8.3 %; N = 501). Chronic diseases with the lowest incidence of symptoms (1.0 %; N = 59), symptoms of oral health (1.3 %; N = 79) and mental health symptoms (1.7 %; N = 106).

All in all, the findings from Ostrobothnia are in line with previous literature and suggest that the use of the digital clinic is particularly focused on acute and remotely suitable symptom sets. This supports the view that digital service channels can appropriately target situations where physical reception is not necessary.

Authors of the blog:

Alex Kivimäki, Tapio Haaga, What a Kortelainen, Lauri Sääksvuori

Sources:

Dahlberg, A., Jukarainen, S., Kaartinen, T. et al. Cost minimization analysis of digital-first healthcare pathways in primary care. npj Digit. Med. 8, 546 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01937-z.

Lakoma, S., Pasanen, H., Lahdensuo, K., Pehkonen, J., Viinikainen, J. & Torkki, P. Quality of the digital GP visits and characteristics of the users: retrospective observational study. Scand. J. Prim. Health Care 42(4), 686-694 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/02813432.2024.2380921

Ellegård, L. M., Kjellsson, G. & Mattisson, L. An App Call a Day Keeps the Patient Away? Substitution of Online and In-Person Doctor Consultations Among Young Adults. Econ. J. ueag016 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueag016.