Anni Pakarinen
Docent, PhD, MHSc, RN
ankorh@utu.fi +358 29 450 4711 +358 50 440 9740 Kiinamyllynkatu 10 Turku |
Health promotion, Digital health, Digital interventions, Gamification, health games, Wellbeing of children, adolescents and families, Case management, Design Thinking
I am a registered nurse specialized in medical-surgical nursing, holding a Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) and a PhD in Nursing Science. Since 2025, I have held the title of Docent in Nursing Science at the University of Turku. Currently, I serve as a Senior Researcher at the Department of Nursing Science, where my work focuses on health promotion, interdisciplinary research, and the development of innovative healthcare solutions.
My research focuses on health promotion and digital interventions, particularly on serious games and gamified applications, as well as sensor technlogy and wearables. My research approaches the topic from many perspectives; development through user-centered design process, evaluation of the usability, feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention, as well as the implementation process of digital interventions. The research aims to provide both the knowledge and methods to support the work of professionals, to promote the health of individuals and to support the use of high-quality and evidence-based digital interventions in health and social care for disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The aim is also to provide information that can be used in the design and development of new digital interventions for health promotion purposes.
PI in Gamification for Health reseaech programme: https://sites.utu.fi/nursingscienceresearchprogrammes/intelligent-health/gamification-for-health/
I have experience in teaching and planning of teaching in following courses: Design thinking for health- and social care, Health Innovations- from ideas to impact in device development, Digital culture and health (Asklepios), Research and reportage in Nursing Science, Evidence based practice, Design Thinking in healthcare innovation, Case management (continuing education) and Digitalisation supporting Clinical Nursing. I also supervise students in Bachelor, Master and Doctoral level.
- Gamification Integration in Technological Devices for Motor Rehabilitation in Parkinson Disease: Scoping Review (2025)
- JMIR serious gamesNursing Open
- Etäseuranta osaksi vastasyntyneen hoitoa (2025)
- CIN: Computers Informatics Nursing
- Lapsen arki ei odota – neljä estettä, jotka hidastavat monitoimijaista työtä perheiden parhaaksiDeveloping a Health Game to Prepare Preschool Children for Anesthesia: Formative Study Using a Child-Centered Approach (2025)
- THL blogiJMIR serious games
- Perceived stepfamily challenges: a cross-sectional descriptive study among stepfamilies and social and health care professionals (2025)
- International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies
- (2024)
- Journal of NeuroEngineering and RehabilitationInternational Journal of Serious Games
- A treadmill training program in a gamified virtual reality environment combined with transcranial direct current stimulation in Parkinson's Disease : Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial2024
- PLoS ONE
- (2024)
- Kätilölehti
- Gamified Intervention for Health Promotion of Families in Child Health Clinics: A Cluster Randomised Trial2024
- Simulation and Gaming
- Gamified Interventions for Promoting the Psychosocial Well-Being of School-Aged Children : A Scoping Review (2024)
- Games for Health
- Improving hand hygiene of young children with a digital intervention: a cluster-randomised controlled field trialMobiiliavusteinen ja ammatillisesti ohjattu uusperheinterventio - Intervention soveltuvuus uusperheiden ja sote-ammattilaisten näkökulmasta (2024)
- Scientific ReportsHoitotiede
- Laadullinen vignette tutkimusmenetelmänä monialaisen yhteistyöosaamisen arvioimisessa sote-alan monialaisessa koulutuksessa No Longer Without a Reward: Do Digital Rewards Crowd Out Intrinsic Motivation of Young Children? (2024)
- HoitotiedeInternational conference on information systems
- Design Thinking in Healthcare: From Problem to Innovative Solutions (2023) Pakarinen Anni, Lemström Thomas, Rainio Eeva, Siirala Eriikka
- Hand hygiene of kindergarten children—Understanding the effect of live feedback on handwashing behaviour, self-efficacy, and motivation of young children: Protocol for a multi-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (2023)
- PLoS ONE
- Instruments assessing nurse educator's competence: A scoping review (2023)
- Why Design Thinking Matters in Healthcare (2023) Design Thinking in Healthcare Pakarinen Anni
- (2022)
- (2022)
- 2022
- Pilot Study and Gamification Analysis of a Theory-based Exergame (2022)
- Potilasohjauksen vaikuttavuuden arviointi (2022) Professori Helena Leino-Kilven juhlakirja Rosio Riitta, Salanterä Sanna, Pakarinen Anni



