Information technology as tool for change.
It looks that networking welfare thinking and implementations of network projects only follow the development of data transfer possibilities. It is a danger that seamless chain of care in health care is just a data transferring generator based on easy connections, only creating needs for new data transferring. This is an 'illusion of core skills' that does not extend to the development of the contents of services. Easy access to the system makes more contacts and need for more also clinical services. New needs for data transfer burden the personnel with unnecessary information and networking functional model does not emancipate them to use their substantial skills. It means more costs and it is also a danger that normal life will be medicated. Public sector cannot finance all these new possibilities and consequences of modern technology. Does all this create a new combination of public and private sector and push them to allocate responsibilities in developing work? If the public and private sectors do not find the balance in controlling this development, also actors outside health care get to influence the choices and health care loses its autonomy. It becomes a business means for companies producing data transfer and network services. From the prioritization point of view this is not a good vision for financing and delivery of health care services either in public or private sector.
Itkonen
P
P
North Karelian Hospital District, Federation of Municipalities, Joensuu, Finland. pentti.itkonen@pkshp.fi
D005387:Finland; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008491:Medical Informatics Applications; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D012017:Referral and Consultation