HUS year 2024: Quality and patient safety

Self-monitoring program and its implementation

In 2024, we continued with our work to improve internal audits and service-provider control visits associated with self-monitoring. We also updated our reporting on self-monitoring.

All medical departments drew up self-monitoring plans, which were published on the HUS website.

Read more on the self-monitoring plans (in Finnish)

At the end of the year, we started preparations to update our self-monitoring program. Our aim is to have the new self-monitoring program approved in fall 2025.

ISO 9001 quality management system

During 2024, we started ISO 9001 quality management system work across the HUS Group. We are building a HUS-wide ISO 9001 quality management system in 2024–2027. Of our units, the Diagnostic Center, IT Management, Medical Helpline, and Procurement already have ISO 9001 certification. The aim is to unify the HUS way of operating, and to ensure patient safety and effective daily activities. We also aim to support management of patient care and its support services, and continuous development. 

Aiming for an uninterrupted pharmacological treatment process

As part of research work, we analyzed Apotti’s warnings regarding the prescription of medicines and the associated responses in adult patients in 2022. Based on this analysis, we identified areas for optimization, but further action is needed in order to define them in more detail.  

We have also evaluated and planned the introduction of the Unit dose (UD) medication dispensing model in HUS. UD dispensing refers to single dose units of pre-dispensed medication indicated with an identification code which can be bundled together, for example, in accordance with single dose administration per patient.  

UD dispensing can significantly reduce dispensing errors and save the time that nurses spend dispensing medicines for other care tasks. The purchase of UD dispensing equipment is included in the HUS investment plan for 2026–2029.

Incident reports for improving operations 

Our work on patient and client safety relies on continuous improvement, maintenance of safety, reporting of patient safety incidents (HaiPro), and induction and training of employees. Our goal is to minimize preventable adverse events. Patients and family members also have the possibility to report patient safety incidents.    

A “never event” is a rare, severe adverse event that should never happen to a patient, but that still has happened. They are clearly recognisable and largely preventable when recommendations and instructions are followed. In 2024, we provided guidance on how to manage and monitor never events and added a never event classification to our safety incident reporting system (HaiPro).

Developing data protection skills and processes

Developing data protection skills is an important part of our operations. To promote the staff's data protection skills, we created a guidance page on the processing of patient data and instructions for identity theft situations on our intranet, and organized training to increase the staff's data protection skills. We also developed the processes for handling data protection issues.

We introduced a new monitoring system for tracking log data at the end of 2024. The development of the system's functionalities will continue during 2025.  

Launching collaboration between the wellbeing services counties

Regional cooperation in order to improve quality and patient safety is a key part of developing healthcare services. During 2024, we worked even closer together with the Uusimaa wellbeing services counties, especially in matters related to patient safety. We also participated in national networks for the development of self-monitoring.