Health care services in Kuopio are provided by seven different health care centers. After Nilsiä merged with Kuopio in 2013, belongs Nilsiäs health care center services to those produced by the city of Kuopios health care services. Health care centers provide non-urgent appointments as well as the urgent acute health care services. Nilsiä reception department started a teamwork model in February 2015, which replaces the previous family doctor system. This teamwork model means that every resident in Nilsiä has got their own responsible care team.

In March 2005 a government act was set regarding care guarantee. It ensures clients a right to access to medical care which must occur within a certain time limit. Concepts of urgent and unurgent care are often unfamiliar for health care center clients.The client may not know what the assessment of need for medical treatment is and why it is made in the context of the client’s contact. Treatment assessment by a health care professional makes the care process fluent and the staff labor input is properly targeted and the clients overall treatment is successful. All in all, necessary treatment assessments are central to the functioning of the health care system.

This thesis was carried out based on working life and was commissioned by the city of Kuopio and Nilsiä reception department. The thesis was accomplished as a development project and its purpose was to design and produce a client oriented guide for the Nilsiä reception department to ease the client to get care. The aim was to promote awareness and knowledge among Nilsiäs residents and visitors about the structure of the health care center services in Nilsiä, what health care services contain and what health care services are provided. The purpose was in a written form to inform the client about what Nilsiä health care center services include and what support services are available. The mandator’s wish was that the client’s guide also mentions the other health care services available at the Nilsiä health care center as well as the other services that the health care center provides. Client guide provides examples of what the urgent and unurgent care is and when client should immediately contact the emergency number. To help the client’s visit at the health care center, there is a short information package collected about care guarantee, electronic prescription and what the client can do to advance the health center visit to be easier and faster. Client guide provides support for the medical staff in client guidance.

This thesis was based on the theory. Contents and the appearance of the client guide were based on the client’s wishes, as well as on the basis of a two-step client survey. Nilsiä health care centers medical staff gave written feedback. Theoretical information was sought and combined within different databases. Information in oral and electronic form were compiled into the client guide.

A further research subject could be a research on the usefulness of the client guide. Then it could be possible to do a wider research on clients/medicalstaff’s opinions about how useful the client guide has been and in what occasions. A further research subject can be also a thesis that is focusing more on the other health services that Nilsiä health care center provides, such as mother and child clinic - and elderly services. Client guide can therefore be more specific in each area’s service selection.