The Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK; Finnish: Seinäjoen ammattikorkeakoulu) is a multidisciplinary non-profit government dependent higher education institution and an efficient actor in education and research, development and innovation (RDI) in the region of South Ostrobothnia in West Finland.The Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences specialises in entrepreneurship, food and internationality. The aim of the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences is to increase competence, competitiveness and well-being in the area of its operations. SeAMK's campus is located in the Technology Park Frami in Seinäjoki.Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences currently has about 4,700 students, 180 teachers and more than 90 people working in research, development and innovation, as well as 110 other staff members. Jaakko Hallila, D. Sc. (Admin.), is the President and CEO of the University of Applied Sciences. He has been the President of SeAMK since September 2020, when Tapio Varmola, who has been the President since the establishment of SeAMK, retired. SeAMK was established in 1992. Seinäjoki ammattikorkeakoulu Oy (limited company) has been the administrator of SeAMK since 2014.Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences contains all together four faculties (School of Business and Culture, School of Food and Agriculture, School of Health Care and Social Work and School of Technology) and six study fields. All the faculties provide higher education and are efficient actors in research, development and innovation area.The Finnish higher education system is divided into traditional research universities, which focus more on academic research, and universities of applied sciences, which emphasize more working life connections. SeAMK is a university of applied sciences. See Finnish educational system..
Palveluohjauksella on merkittävä asema muuttuvassa sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palvelujärjestelmässä (myöh. sote-palvelut), joka on pitkälti määrittynyt paikallisesti ja tilallisesti uudelleen hyvinvointialueiden aloitettua toimintansa vuonna 2023. Tutkimukset osoittavat, että ikääntyneiden palvelupolut ovat vaihtelevia ja alueellisesti palvelujärjestelmien käytännöt eivät ole yhdenmukaisia (ks. mm. Sinkkonen & Vasara, 2025; Sinkkonen ym., 2026). Ikääntyneiden ja heidän läheistensä voi olla vaikeaa hahmottaa sitä, millaista apua ja tukea on saatavilla sekä miltä tahoilta palveluita voi saada. Nämä vaikeudet ovat näkyneet myös julkisuudessa, esimerkiksi keskusteluissa päivystysjonoista. Tämä lisää entisestään painetta kehittää ikääntyneiden palvelutarpeen arviointia ja palveluja sekä palveluohjausta siten, että jokaiselle voidaan turvata tarkoituksenmukaista tukea ja hoivaa. Tämä ikääntyneiden palveluohjausta tutkiva hanke (myöh. IPO-hanke) sijoittuu sosiaalipoliittisesti merkittävään muutosvaiheeseen. Tutkimus tuottaa uutta tietoa sote-palvelujen ja sosiaalityön työmenetelmistä, niiden vaikutuksista ja asiakasturvallisista palvelukokonaisuuksista, joita voidaan hyödyntää asiakas- ja kehitystyössä sekä päätöksenteossa.
BackgroundVarious special diets have become increasingly common. However, their prevalence and significance in patients with celiac disease (CeD) who already adhere to a gluten-free diet (GFD) are unclear.AimWe studied the abovementioned aspects in youth with CeD and controls.Methods210 patients and 212 controls, all adolescents and young adults with comparable age 16-30 years, completed an anonymous survey. Variables were compared between CeD patients with and without additional dietary restriction.ResultsOverall, 53% of CeD patients and 81% of controls were students and 41% vs. 18% working. One-third of patients and controls reported adhering to special diets, particularly a vegetarian/vegan diet (9%/14%), an allergy diet (8%/7%), and a diet for irritable bowel syndrome (7%/8%). Patients with and without an additional diet besides a GFD were comparable in terms of sex, current age, age at diagnosis, body mass index, student/employment status, physical activity, and consumption of alcohol and tobacco. However, those following only a GFD reported fewer gastrointestinal symptoms at diagnosis (58% vs. 75%, p = 0.021) and fewer challenges with school and workplace meals (27% vs. 39%, p = 0.020) than those with another restrictive diet. Altogether 11% reported difficulties combining GFD and other diet, but there were no differences in adherence (91% vs. 93%, p = 0.705), persistent symptoms, health concerns, or well-being.ConclusionOne-third of CeD patients followed additional special diets, similar to the controls. While additional restrictions may not necessarily compromise well-being or treatment success, including GFD adherence and symptom resolution, they posed challenges that underline the need to consider them in CeD management.
Structured electronic patient care records can support consistent documentation, information transfer and secondary data use, but implementation depends on users’ competence and system compatibility with clinical work. Evidence concerning education and competence development for structured documentation in prehospital emergency care remains limited. This secondary analysis examined paramedics’ education and development needs and whether assessments of KEJO training adequacy, timing and documentation competence differed by age, educational background or the electronic patient care record previously used. Data originated from an anonymous cross-sectional web survey conducted in one Finnish wellbeing services county in February–March 2024. Responses from 137 professionals (response rate 30.4%) were examined using descriptive statistics and non-parametric group comparisons, contextualised by previously reported findings and an expanded inductive analysis of free-text responses. Overall, 46.7% considered theoretical instruction sufficient, and the same proportion considered face-to-face training sufficient. Most respondents (83.9%) considered the training-to-implementation interval too long, while 54.7% assessed their documentation competence positively. After Holm adjustment for multiple comparisons, no statistically significant differences were detected across the background groups. Qualitative findings emphasised hands-on practice, authentic cases, simulation, refresher training, concise update materials and timely support. Respondents distinguished educational needs from problems requiring system development. The comparisons provided no evidence of systematic differences between the groups examined. Training should be coordinated with implementation and user-centred system development as a continuous process rather than a single pre-launch event.
Abstract Strategic planning is widely advocated in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet the mechanisms for its performance effects remain contested. Focusing on Finnish SMEs in the food industry, this study examines whether marketing capability explains the link between strategic planning and both financial and non-financial performance. Survey data were collected in 2024 from 202 firms and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling, with financial and non-financial outcomes modelled separately. The results show that strategic planning strengthens marketing capability, which in turn is positively associated with both non-financial and financial performance. Once marketing capability is taken into account, direct strategic planning-performance paths are non-significant, indicating full mediation. These findings suggest that, in retailer-dominated and resource-constrained food systems, strategic planning creates value primarily by building market-facing routines rather than by directly improving results. For managers, this implies that the payoff from strategic planning depends on developing capabilities such as market sensing, product-launch processes, and channel management. As the cross-sectional design of the study limits causal inference, further time-lagged tests of delayed financial payoffs are called for.
