Not digital for digital’s sake – Tuomas Koskela pursues impactful and practical healthcare solutions

What are your main research interests?

In recent years, my research has focused on digital services, applications and tools used in primary healthcare. I study their impact, accuracy, and safety as well as the experiences of professionals and patients of using them.

What makes your research significant?

Healthcare and health service systems are undergoing a rapid digital transformation. For example, the use of remote consultations and other digital applications has increased dramatically over the past five years. We need research to understand whether such innovations truly add value to healthcare. Once we know how effective, safe and usable digital solutions are, we can target them to the services where they will make the most sense. That also enables us to ensure that in-person services are available to patients who need them when digital options are not suitable.

It is also essential to explore how digital services align with the core values of our field, such as patient-centred care, the continuity of treatment and equality.

Where do you draw inspiration for your work as a professor?

Learning something new, absolutely! Doing research in a team is the best way to learn. When another researcher dives deep into a topic, it gives you the chance to learn and explore it too. Teaching is also a constant learning experience. When I teach, I try to understand what students already know and build new perspectives on top of that. I want to challenge them to think and expand their knowledge and perspectives.

International collaboration and networking are also a great source of inspiration. It is very rewarding to work with colleagues from around the world who bring in different expertise. That kind of exchange is invaluable for personal development and has helped me grow professionally. Overall, being a professor is uniquely fascinating because it is autonomous work where you get to dedicate your efforts to researching, teaching and advancing things that you find the most meaningful.

Photo: Jonne Renvall/Tampere University

What would you want to study next and why? 

Right now, artificial intelligence and its use in primary healthcare is a hot topic, and it is something I would really like to explore further with research. I am currently involved in an international funding application, and if it is successful, we will begin a multi-professional study.

Our research would focus on how AI could be used to support the care of patients with multiple chronic conditions and improve treatment outcomes. The aim would be to develop an AI-based application that can generate summaries, predictions, alerts and reminders from patient records. This would support clinical decision-making for professionals treating complex patients, which is the core patient group of general practitioners.

What do you do in your free time?

I try to find balance with mentally demanding work by doing things that help me to unwind. Sports and physical activity have always been close to my heart and an important part of my life. Skiing has long been a shared hobby in our whole family. Both of my children have competed in cross-country skiing, so I have been closely involved, waxing skis and managing logistics. 

Running is another sport that is important to me. I train with a certain level of ambition; it is not just a casual jog around the block. I aim to run a half marathon a couple of times a year, and occasionally a full marathon too.