Information management to support rational pharmacotherapy

Information management solutions and digital services can support the safety, quality, economy and equality of pharmacotherapy and, in the long term, the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy.

A number of development projects are currently underway in order to achieve an operational reform. As far as pharmacotherapy is concerned, particular attention should be paid to the development of Kanta services, including the introduction of a national medication list, as well as to the expansion and structuring of the information content of the Prescription Centre for shared use. 

In addition, many development projects are underway in many Finnish regions with regard to, for example, assessment of pharmacotherapy, monitoring of self-medication and support for decision-making related to medication data. 

At national level, it is also necessary to ensure better access to information related to medicinal products and therapies. This is being developed, for example, by improving the centralised data resources. Those improvements will also improve the knowledge base needed for the monitoring of pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical services. The knowledge is used especially for guidance, information management and enforcement.

In many regions in Finland, the development of pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical services is carried out under Apotti and UNA patient data systems, for example.

Management by information from the viewpoint of medication data

On the basis of the Act on Secondary Use of Health and Social Data, client data from healthcare and social welfare services can be used, for example, for the development of services and for management by information.

The coverage and quality of medication-related data require further development so that the data could be used more uniformly also for secondary purposes. A lot of information about medication is stored currently but the data are scattered in various data resources and produced using various different operating models and structures.

Information on pharmacotherapy to be monitored in accordance with the principles of rational pharmacotherapy would include, for example, cost data, quality data, effectiveness data, safety data and equality data.

Indicators for pharmaceutical services

The availability, accessibility, quality and costs of healthcare and social welfare services are to be assessed and directed based on information provided by cost-effectiveness indicators.

The indicators for pharmaceutical services are still inadequate, and in future, it will be necessary to assess pharmacotherapy services as part of the healthcare and social welfare services

Further information

Riikka Vuokko, Senior Specialist 
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare / OHO, Digitalisaation ja tiedonhallinnan yksikkö DITI Telephone:0295163600   Email Address: