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Maria Näränen met HippocrAItes at the Laurea JobFest – her thesis examines the clarity of digital health services

UraFest_Maria Näränen_LaureaMaria Näränen, who will graduate this year as a Public Health Nurse (AMK), met HippocrAItes at the Laurea JobFest. The encounter led to a thesis project aimed at supporting the clarity and usability of digital health services.

Laurea JobFest in Tikkurila serves as an annual meeting point for social and health care students and industry professionals. During last year’s event, Maria—who has since completed and published her thesis as part of her Public Health Nurse degree—began collaborating with HippocrAItes on a study focused on the development of digital services in health care. Alongside her nursing studies, Maria has broadened her expertise with IT studies and service design, giving her a well‑rounded perspective on evaluating digital services from both user‑centred and technical viewpoints.

Clarity to support health‑promoting nursing

The work of a public health nurse spans a wide range of responsibilities in promoting population health, including maternity and child health clinics, school health care and vaccinations. Maria emphasizes that digital tools support this work only when they are clear, reliable and easy to use. The user’s perspective is a decisive element in any development process.

“Digital services must be intuitive, and systems must work seamlessly together—only then do they genuinely support the everyday work of public health nurses,” Maria notes.

A thesis supporting the development of Hippo Health Account

Maria’s thesis focused on HippocrAItes’ Hippo Health Account service. Hippo Health Account is a digital platform that collects a user’s health information into one view from various sources, such as electronic patient records and personal wellness data. An up‑to‑date, comprehensive health overview supports preventive care and health‑promoting nursing. The goal of the service is to make information management and sharing easier so that both health care professionals and users can access it smoothly and securely.

Maria’s research highlighted three main areas she believes should be considered when developing digital platforms:

  • Onboarding and professional competence

    Clear onboarding, adequate training and ensuring professional competence.

  • Integration and shared data

    Interoperability and the seamless, secure exchange of information across system boundaries.

  • Usability and perceived usefulness

    Quick access to information, smoother workflows and clear value for the user.


Näränen’s thesis can be read here (in Finnish).

Maria’s advice for students

Maria says Laurea’s social sercives and nursing studies have given her valuable insight into the role of research and development in the field. She finds collaborations between universities of applied sciences and companies particularly valuable, as they bring perspectives to thesis work that cannot be gained through literature alone. According to her, working with HippocrAItes has been smooth and supportive: “Everything has gone flexibly and without complications. Solutions have always been found,” Maria describes.

HippocrAItes and Laurea University of Applied Sciences engage in a strategic key partnership that provides students with practical project opportunities and gives the company fresh research insights. The goal is to advance the digitalisation of health care, strengthen students’ working‑life skills and promote impactful, human‑centred services.


Interested in collaborating?

Laurea’s UraFest offers students and companies a chance to network and find thesis collaboration partners. Register here.