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The Finnish National Medicines Day is celebrated on March 16, 2023 with the theme "Keys to Medicinal Treatment – Making Your Treatment Path Smoother"

15.03.2023

The Finnish National Medicines Day is a national theme day for all users of medicines and health care professionals, celebrated on March 16 with the theme "Keys to Medicinal Treatment – Making Your Treatment Path Smoother". 

There are several factors affecting the safety and smoothness of a treatment path, and everyone can do their part improve their own personal treatment. For medicines, as well as vaccines, it is important to keep in mind that they help only when taken at the correct time, using the correct dose, and when administered correctly.  

Improving your medicinal treatment can be done in a number of ways, one of which is making a list of medicines. An up-to-date listing of all the medicines you currently use is especially important when you are taking several medicines. Your list of medicines should include all OTC and prescription medicines you are using, vaccines, nutritional supplements, natural remedies, and drug allergies. For each product, the list should include name, indication and dose. If you need help with the list, ask a health care professional or pharmacy. 

You can write the list by hand or use a computer. You can find a printable list on the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea website, and to create a medication list on your computer visit Lääkekortti.fi. You can print a summary of all your subscription medicines on the MyKanta service or ask at a doctor’s appointment or pharmacy. The list should always be updated when prescriptions change, and a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist should check the list regularly to make sure it is up-to-date. It is also important to take the list with you when using health care services or visiting the pharmacy.  

The list of medicines will make you more aware of your medication, helps in identifying overlapping prescriptions and detecting drug incompatibilities. Recording vaccines on the list would also likely increase vaccination coverage, because according to a study made on the rokotustieto.fi -website 79 % of Finns think they would take better care of their vaccination protection if vaccination information could be found, for example, on MyKanta. The first step in improving the smoothness and safety of medicinal treatment is information.  

Sources:

https://www.fimea.fi/kehittaminen/laakeinformaation_kehittaminen/laakehoidon-paiva (in Finnish) 

https://www.fimea.fi/documents/160140/762468/Ohjeita+turvalliseen+l%C3%A4%C3%A4kehoitoon+-opas+2023.pdf/cb2a60b1-db7b-8c34-246e-0f7231673478?t=1675663937026 (in Finnish)