Publications

Weiste, E., Koskela, I., Saari, E. , Lappalainen, K. & Koivisto, T. (2026). Dilemmatic discourses on newcomers in social and healthcare organisations during workplace development programme to solve labour shortages. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-09439-3 

Drawing on critical discursive psychology, the study examined how regular employees talked about newcomers and how their discursive practices revealed the ideological dilemmas of workplace integration.

Levonius, V., Sivunen, A. E., & Saari, E. (2026). ‘Can you see empathy?’ Exploring social media posts as a performance of organisational empathy. Communication Research and Practice, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2026.2727322

The study shows that social media images from care organisations do more than document everyday life: they shape perceptions of empathy. Shared activities communicate empathy more clearly than one-sided actions.

Ruotsalainen, S., Karhulahti-Nordström, H., Väisänen, V., Lehto-Niskala, V., & Sinervo, T. (2026). How do different work organization approaches relate to quality of care?: A convergent mixed-methods study of Finnish home care employees. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 100724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2026.100724

The study showed that work organisation is associated with perceived quality of care, for example, it is important to take into account the continuity of care in home care, as its importance emerged from both quantitative and qualitative results.

Dolničar, V., Berzelak, N., Taipale, S., & Hvalič-Touzery, S. (2026). Integrating Perceived Psychosocial Outcomes Into the Assessment of Telecare Acceptability Among Slovenian Informal Caregivers of Older People: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. JMIR aging, 9, e85534.

Based on a Slovenian survey, the study shows that telecare is most valuable when it offers informal caregivers peace of mind, eases anxiety, and strengthens their sense of safety.

Saari, E., Levonius, V. and Koivisto, T. (2026). Rigid or Attentive Practices? Organising Social Programmes in Residential Care. Journal of Long-Term Care, 345–359. https://doi.org/10.31389/jltc.556

An ethnographic study examines how the division of labour, social media and the rhythm of activities affect residents’ participation and the consideration of individual needs during recreational activities in care homes.

Tanskanen, J., Blomqvist, J., Karhinen, J., Hämäläinen, A., Oinas, T., Hirvonen, H., Tammelin, M., Rönkkö, M. & Taipale, S. (2026). Hoivatyö ja teknologia 2019–2024: Iäkkäiden parissa tehtyä hoivatyötä ja sen teknologisoitumista käsittelevän pitkittäiskyselyn aineistoraportti. JYU Reports, (94). https://doi.org/10.17011/jyureports/94

The report examines changes and technologisation in Finnish eldercare from 2019 to 2024 and their links to working conditions, work practices and care relationships.

Stiel, H. E. M., Virtanen, L., Bakker, M. M., Heponiemi, T., Kainiemi, E., & Kaihlanen, A. M. (2026). The potential of digital health technologies in saving nursing resources: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 105366. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748926000386

The aim of this review was to provide an overview of (a) digital health technologies with potential to save nursing resources, (b) effectiveness indicators, and (c) technologies found effective.