TULE – SAFE AND SMOOTH SURGICAL SERVICES

The Pirkanmaa Hospital District’s “TULE – Safe and smooth surgical services” project is concerned with developing a specialised care operating and management model at the centre for musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders.

The goal is to develop and introduce an innovative model which is compatible with the Finnish health care system and where care chains are developed on the principle of continuous improvement. These shall also focus on eliminating procedures and operating models which do not provide any added value to the patients. Higher quality and more efficient operations will lead to cost savings and increase patient satisfaction. The project is coordinated by the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, and project partners include the Media Lab at the School of Art and Design at Aalto University.

 The Pirkanmaa Hospital District’s centre for musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders provides specialised care (traumatology, orthopaedics, hand surgery, plastic surgery and physical and rehabilitation medicine), advanced operative and conservative treatment services for its member municipalities and the Tampere University Hospital’s expert responsibility area. It also serves as the national centre in its specialties for both emergency and elective activities (such as hand surgery). The centre is a training unit for specialists in orthopaedics, traumatology, hand surgery, plastic surgery and physical and rehabilitation medicine as well as an important research.

 Today, there are approximately one million Finns affected by musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, and the annual cost is approximately EUR 4.4 billion.

 The project facilitates the self-renewal of the centre and its personnel, as well as developing its activities to meet the expected increase in the need for specialised healthcare in general and particularly with regard to musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders.

 The development of a management model for the centre is a pilot project in the development of the management as part of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District’s productivity programme. 

Further information on the project:
Pirkanmaa Hospital District website
– Marika Järvinen and Juha Kronqvist: blog post on service design on the www.uusijohtajuus.fi website (2011)

Contact persons:
Rauno Ihalainen, Hospital District Director, Pirkanmaa Hospital District, tel. +358 3 311 66210
firstname.lastname@phsp.fi

Jussi Elo, project manager of the TULE project, Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Pirkanmaa Hospital District, firstname.lastname@phsp.fi

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