One of the RemoTED technology pilots began in October in Tornio, Finland, where Mehiläinen Länsi-Pohja is testing an eHealth Station developed by the Finnish health technology company MedicubeX at its primary healthcare emergency clinic until the end of 2026.

The RemoTED project aims to improve social and healthcare services in sparsely populated areas of Finland, Ireland and Iceland. The project also focuses on strengthening healthcare professionals’ digital and technological skills and piloting new solutions. The project has now reached a stage where new technologies are being tested in real social and healthcare settings in cooperation with local partners.

The eHealth Station is an automated self-service station where users can measure their blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, oxygen saturation and weight. The station can also perform body composition analysis and measure the electrical activity of the heart (single-lead ECG).

The device combines the measurement results to provide an overview of the user’s health and helps identify potential risks related to cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. A comprehensive set of measurements takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete during a single visit. The station guides users step by step throughout the entire measurement process.

Photo: Interior of the MedicubeX eHealth Station, where users can take measurements related to their health.

The pilot aims to explore how this type of technology could be used in primary healthcare, particularly in regions with long distances, and what opportunities it offers for improving healthcare processes. The pilot will evaluate the usability of the device, its benefits and its potential to free up healthcare professionals’ time for patient care. The pilot will also gather healthcare professionals’ views on how similar technologies could be used more widely and further developed to meet the future needs of sparsely populated areas. Two nursing students from Lapland University of Applied Sciences are participating in the pilot as part of their practical project training. The students will help guide patients in using the device and take part in the practical implementation of the pilot.

The pilot also includes a research component. Elina Kerätär (Master of Health Care, Physiotherapist), Senior RDI Specialist at Lapland UAS, will use data collected during the pilot in her doctoral research on service design at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland. Kerätär will also take on the role of Project Manager of the RemoTED project in mid-November.

Photo: From left to right: Elina Kerätär, Senior RDI Specialist at Lapland UAS; Aila Ramlin, Chief Nurse in Primary Healthcare at Mehiläinen Länsi-Pohja; Mari Ingman-Ikonen, Account Manager for Finland at MedicubeX; Susanna Leskinen, Senior Lecturer in Nursing and Project Manager; Johanna Mirola, Nursing Student and Hanna Laakso, Nursing Student.

The RemoTED project is also piloting technological solutions in residential care units operated by the Wellbeing Services County of Lapland. The technologies being tested include companion robots and sensory stimulation chairs. The pilots will gather experiences of the usability of these technologies and how well they can be integrated into the daily activities of the units.

Alongside the technology pilots, the project is developing continuous learning offerings for social and healthcare professionals. The training topics have been selected based on surveys and workshops with professionals. They cover remote interaction, digital guidance and new and emerging technologies in social and healthcare. The training materials will later remain available as part of Lapland UAS’s continuous learning offerings and advanced nursing studies.

The experiences and results from the technology pilots and training activities will be collected and brought together throughout the project. The aim is to provide knowledge and practical approaches that can also be used to develop digital social and healthcare services in other sparsely populated regions.

Project Information:Digital and Technological Social and Healthcare Enhanced Service Delivery in Remote Areas is a project funded by the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) program for the period 1.2.2025 – 31.1.2028. Lead by Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Atlantic Technological University (Ireland), and the University of Iceland (Iceland). The total project budget is 1,496,662.20 €, with NPA funding of 972.830,42 €. Finnish partners co-financing source is by The Regional Council of Lapland (Lapin Liitto).