Making Things Better.

Making Things Better.

Making things BETTER Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) is one of the five university hospitals in Finland. We are responsible for high-level specialised medical care for almost a million people in Eastern and Central Finland. We provide high-quality clinical care, conduct internationallyrenowned research activities, and educate top professionals for Finnish health care. Our patients are very satisfied with their treatment and our employees enjoy their work. Annual figures for KUH: 4,300 employees 90,000 patients 360,000 outpatients 2,500 births 22,000 operations The best part of the job is working with the patients. Dr Leena Setälä, Plastic Surgeon, Head of Surgery

Willing to IMPROVE In the coming decade, KUH will be transformed into one of the nation s most modern hospitals. Our practice will place greater emphasis on outpatient care, making things easier for patients. Newly renovated facilities will enable more efficient treatment. The new construction will increase the size of KUH by one-third. All the core activities, like surgical units, intensive care and births, will be centralised at the new hospital. The old complex of the KUH Puijo Hospital will also be completely updated to meet the requirements of modern hospital care. Patients will be allocated single rooms, which means that families can be even more involved in the care and support of their relatives. I am looking forward to working in the new functional premises. Maija Penttinen, Nurse Anaesthetist

Providing CARE Our priority is to provide the best possible care for patients. We have representatives from all specialised medical fields, who work together in close multidisciplinary collaboration. Epilepsy surgery and treatment of severe burns, for example, are among the scientific disciplines that have been centred here at the national level. General common diseases are treated at separate centers of excellence, such as our Neuro, Heart, and Cancer Centers. In these Centers, the various specialised fields join forces in order to combat the disorder in question more effectively. In 1999, the exceptional quality of our practice earned the hospital the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Certificate. This was awarded to KUH in its entirety, and we are the only university hospital in Finland to have received this specific award. According to comparisons conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare, throughout the last decade, KUH has remained the most efficient university hospital in Finland. And most importantly, opinion polls show that patients are extremely satisfied with the care they have received here. Emergency Care KUH is responsible for the emergency care of 250,000 people. 33 emergency care units with their professional medical personnel can quickly reach patients who have acute illnesses or injuries. The emergency care units assess the need for care, provide necessary emergency care on site and, if required, transport the patient to the hospital. In addition, a medical helicopter is on standby around the clock, ready to fly a specialist doctor to a patient anywhere in Eastern and Central Finland. Emergency Duty We have over 100 emergency duty professionals who are able to provide care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries. The triage nurse initially assesses the need for care and emergency level of each patient. Emergency patients will be treated immediately and professionally. Other patients will be referred to their general practitioner or a nurse. KUH emergency duty also provides a comprehensive medical advice line. Kysteri Kysteri provides quality primary health care and institutional care of the elderly for 30,000 people locally. Co-operation with the university hospital guarantees patients better and more competent care. Teddy wasn t scared at all at the hospital. Oliver, 4 years

Offering TRAINING We train the greatest number of physicians in Finland, and the University of Eastern Finland has the most comprehensive nursing science unit in the country. Each year about 1,000 physicians, dentists and specialising consultants train at the hospital. In addition, the hospital has about 1,000 health science and nursing trainees. According to feedback, the students and trainees are extremely satisfied with the teaching they receive here. Our staff is exceptionally committed to the teaching activities. KUH is one of the major actors in the Kuopio Science Valley, as is the university. The benefits of studying in Kuopio are the concentrated campus area, modern teaching facilities and equipment, as well as practice-centred patient-friendly education. I m happy the teachers at KUH trust the students. I often have been able to work independently. Roosa Tanskanen, a health care student

Generating RESEARCH Our research activities are internationally renowned. KUH is a worldwide pioneer in brain tumour and blood vessel gene therapy. The hospital s strongest areas of research are chronic diseases like diabetes, arteriosclerotic vascular disease, Alzheimer s disease, cerebrovascular diseases and obesity. Neuroscience, medical imaging research, musculoskeletal disorders and a wide range of clinical research are other important fields. Our nursing science research focuses, for example, on the philanthropic aspect of the care, staffing and management development. Competent researchers and state-of-the-art equipment make quality research possible. Professor Juha E. Jääskeläinen, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, KUH Neuro Center KUH introduced the first CyberKnife unit in Scandinavia for the precision radiotherapy of tumours and other targets in the head and body.

Pursuing excellence. Kuopio University Hospital P.O. Box 100, 70029 KYS, FINLAND Tel. +358-17-173-311 www.psshp.fi