Oulu Health Test Center

18.9.2009

Health center provides product testing to technology companies

Oulu is known as the city of technology and the City of Oulu actively promotes the use of technology applications in its services. The new health center in Oulu's Kaakkuri district goes a step further; it offers product testing services to businesses and organizations developing wellness and health care technology and services.

Oulu Health Test Center, which was inaugurated in 2008, offers a testing venue for new products, services and service concepts in a real health center environment instead of a laboratory.

"Companies gain important information on their product's market readiness and what improvements they may need to make. Potential customers include municipalities, schools and universities, researchers and business from Finland and abroad," says Anne Niska, project manager at the City of Oulu.

Technology brings efficiency to services

The Oulu Health Test Center's services range from fully outsourced testing projects to providing facilities, testing resources and target groups such as the center's staff, and feedback from its customers' experiences.

Niska says that the City of Oulu's motive in being a partner of the Oulu Health Test Center is to promote its reputation as a city of technology and to improve its own services cost-effectively with new technology.

"This is our approach for finding a solution to the health-care challenges from labor shortages and an ageing population. On the other hand, we do not want to compromise on service quality," says Anne Niska.

Unique SelfCare concept as pilot

The first testing project will start in early February and it will function as a pilot for the Center. The testing of the SelfCare concept, which is probably the first Internet-based electronic system to provide health care systems, has attracted wide interest in Finland.

According to Anne Niska, the solution will make it possible to provide personalized health care advice and services, faster care and better quality. It will provide savings to municipalities and saves time for staff. Testing will commence in spring and the system will be further developed on the basis of user experiences.

"The service provides people with health-related information, direct interactive access to a doctor or nurse. People can use it to make appointments and view lab results. Users log on with personal access codes, similar to those you use for net banking," says Kimmo Alaniska, Service Director of the Oulu firm Mawell Oy, which provides health-care software and services.

Mawell has created the core of the SelfCare concept's system, its customer database solution, and the appointment and service search applications as well as their integration. The portal and content are from Coronaria and chronic-illness-related systems from ProWellness Oy.