{"id":6949,"date":"2026-05-20T16:09:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/?post_type=uutinen&p=6949"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:25:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:25:21","slug":"pohjanmaan-digiklinikkakokeilun-tulokset","status":"publish","type":"uutinen","link":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/uutinen\/pohjanmaan-digiklinikkakokeilun-tulokset\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ostrobothnia digital clinic experiment improved access to healthcare, but the number of in-person visits did not significantly decrease"},"content":{"rendered":"

Results of the study in brief:<\/strong>
The Ostrobothnia digital clinic experiment is Finland\u2019s largest randomized study examining the effectiveness of the healthcare service system. The experiment assessed how opening access to nurse chat consultations affected the use of primary care services. According to the results, the digital clinic improved access to services and reduced other traditional contacts, but did not significantly reduce in-person visits. Overall, chat consultations increased total primary care contacts by approximately 2.4 percent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several wellbeing services counties have introduced digital clinics, where patients can contact primary care via chat in a mobile application or web browser. The remote service is expected to improve access to care, reduce the need to travel, and replace more expensive in-person and phone-based services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the SoteDataLab project, we carried out an extensive randomised trial of more than 170,000 residents to study the effectiveness of the digital clinic in the Ostrobothnia wellbeing services area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The outcome concerning in-person visits was somewhat surprising,\u2019 says the project leader, Professor of Health Economics What a Cortean<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We collected advances from more than 300 healthcare professionals on the impact of the digital clinic. About half of the respondents were doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProfessionals expected that 100 chat receptions would reduce the average number of in-person visits by 39. However, in the experiment, we only observed a decrease of about five visits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other contacts in primary public health care, such as phone calls, consultations and assessments of the need for care, decreased. There were about 37 fewer per 100 chat receptions. At the same time, the introduction of the digital clinic increased the total number of contacts in primary public health care by about 2.4% \u2014 i.e. the chat replaced some of the other contacts, but also brought new contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ostrobothnian digital clinic experiment utilised a randomized controlled trial<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main objective of the study was to promote the use of randomised experiments in the study of the health service system through a significant case example. In an experiment carried out in the Ostrobothnia welfare area, 170,000 inhabitants were divided into two random groups of equal size. Some of the residents initially got access to the new chat service. After nine months of experimentation, the chat reception expanded to the entire population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The experiment carried out is probably the largest randomised study on the effectiveness of the healthcare service system in Finland,\" says the research manager. Lauri S\u00e4\u00e4ksvuori <\/strong>THL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe gained new insights into digital health services and demonstrated that the functioning of healthcare can be reliably assessed with large population data using a randomised survey design and Finnish register data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was carried out in close cooperation with the Ostrobothnian Welfare Services County as part of the SoteDataLab research project funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the GAINS research project funded by the Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe experiment gave us the framework to develop our own activities. Feedback from the chat reception has been very positive. I believe that the adoption of the new channel and trust in it will come from good experiences over time\", says the Strategy and Development Director of the Ostrobothnian Welfare Region. Suvi Einola-Mikkola<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionals estimate that chat has benefited customers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The number of chat receptions was still quite small compared to traditional reception visits. About five per cent of the test group used chat, and the average number of visits per year was 0.13 per inhabitant. Traditional attendance in the control group was several times higher: an average of 0.83 per inhabitant per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who visited the chat reception differed in their background from the customers of traditional channels. They were younger, more educated, more often women, and more often lived in urban areas. Professionals believe that chat has benefited customers. In as many as 96% of chat contacts, the professional estimated that the patient had benefited from the contact, and in 85% of cases, the professional estimated that the chat service reduced the need to call or do business on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One-quarter of chat contacts concerned respiratory infections and symptoms. The next most common causes of visits were skin diseases and allergies, musculoskeletal symptoms, abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms, and urinary and genital symptoms. Chronic diseases accounted for only 1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full study:<\/strong>
Tapio Haaga, Alex Kivim\u00e4ki, What is Kortelainen, Oskari Nokso-Koivisto, Tanja Saxell, Meeri Sepp\u00e4 and Lauri S\u00e4\u00e4ksvuori, Ostrobothnia Digital Clinic Experiment:<\/em> Populated Statistical Analysis Plan for a Randomized Controlled Trial<\/em> https:\/\/www.julkari.fi\/items\/84035f86-1a99-472d-95bc-922f03499971<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

News from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health: https:\/\/stm.fi\/-\/stm-kokemukset-pohjanmaan-digiklinikkakokeilusta-auttavat-arvioimaan-sosiaali-ja-terveyspalvelujen-uudistusten-vaikuttavuutta<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further information:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What a Cortean<\/strong>
Professor, University of Turku
Research Professor, THL
mik\u00e4.kortelainen@utu.fi<\/a>
Tel. +358 50 308 2642<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lauri S\u00e4\u00e4ksvuori
<\/strong>Research Manager, THL
lauri.saaksvuori@thl.fi<\/a>
Tel. +358 50 373 9544<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oskari Nokso-Koivisto
<\/strong>Director Aalto Economic Institute (Aalto University)
oskari.nokso-koivisto@aalto.fi<\/a>
Tel. 044 045 0732<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suvi Einola-Mikkola
<\/strong>Head of Strategy and Development, Ostrobothnia Welfare Region
suvi.einola-mikkola@ovph.fi<\/a>
Tel. +358 40 563 0507<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read other blogs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large differences between welfare areas in the population share of users of digital clinics<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a digital clinic?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the differences between digital clinic solutions in wellbeing services counties?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAQ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the Ostrobothnian digital clinic experiment?<\/strong>
The Ostrobothnia digital clinic experiment was a randomised study that investigated the effects of chat appointments in medical care on the use of primary health care services. In the experiment, half of the residents of the Ostrobothnia Welfare Area received a digital clinic for a 9-month pilot period. After the experiment, the service expanded to the entire population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were the results of the digital clinic experiment in Ostrobothnia?<\/strong>
Chat receptions improved availability and reduced other contacts, but did not significantly reduce attendance. All results can be found in the study report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the digital clinic increase the use of services?<\/strong>
In total, contacts in primary public health care increased by about 2.4 per cent.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tutkimustulokset lyhyesti:Pohjanmaan digiklinikkakokeilu on Suomen suurin terveydenhuollon palveluj\u00e4rjestelm\u00e4n vaikuttavuutta selvitt\u00e4v\u00e4 satunnaistettu tutkimus.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[247],"tags":[254,275,277,272,273,269,259],"class_list":["post-6949","uutinen","type-uutinen","status-publish","hentry","category-tutkimusblogi","tag-digiklinikka","tag-digiklinikkakokeilu","tag-digilaakari","tag-digivastaanotto","tag-pohjanmaa","tag-satunnaistettu-kokeilu","tag-tutkimus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen\/6949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/uutinen"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotedatalab.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}