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Finnish clinical medical research is of a very high quality. It has repeatedly been ranked number one in the world when the assessment has been based on references to Finnish publications from different countries. The Helsinki Academic Medical Center, an entity formed by HUS Meilahti hospitals (HUCH) and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki, is by far the largest community in Finland that conducts clinical medical research. It is also relatively significant by international standards. In Europe, it has been ranked among the five best medical research centers.
With regard to research and teaching, HUCH and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki are an inseparable entity. According to HUS’ strategy, an attempt is made to develop this co-operation further so that it could act as a global example. Other HUS hospitals, universities and universities of applied sciences also belong among the sphere of co-operation, with the universities of applied sciences playing a particularly important role in the development of nursing research.
Research benefits patient care in two ways; on the one hand, directly via research innovations and, on the other, through expertise created by the research. The person conducting the high-level research always also has deep practical expertise in the diseases he or she is studying.
According to a report published in early 2012 in HUS, 80% of the researchers who responded to a survey noted that their research results had actually led to diagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitation changes in practical patient care. In addition, 90% of the managers in charge of practical nursing assessed that research had improved the expertise of the staff they managed.
Although clinical medical research forms the most important part of the research conducted at HUS, the hospital district also invests in other areas. Results introduced by nursing research will have an impact on the majority of hospital operations in the future. In turn, effectiveness studies are expected to provide information for the basis of selections made in patient care, health economics research to provide a basis for the direction of resources, and ERP research to provide help in developing operating methods.