Continuity of Understanding

DfG26, Kela, HUS, Service delivery, Policy

Project descriptions

Continuity of care is an ongoing, multiyear collaboration between Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, and Aalto’s Design for Government (DfG) course. The project will expand on the previous concepts of care and knowledge continuity, with a focus on innovation within the healthcare delivery system in Finland. To explore possible interventions, this year’s project partners with the Interprofessional Bilingual Center to focus on finding principles and insights on how “Continuity of Understanding” can support patients’ constitutional right to be cared for in either of Finland’s national languages. This must be done in ways that build strong connections both within the system and between the patient and their care environment, fostering trust and wellbeing.

The main questions to address are:

How does the patient’s/client’s native language guide the implementation of the care process or the provision of services?
What services do patients feel they need, and do the services offered meet those needs?
Does the availability or lack of services in one’s native language affect service utilisation?
Do service chains function effectively in practice in both national languages? Where do they fall short, and why?
How will the integration of social and health care services be implemented in the regions?