Getting to know the Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide that promotes medication safety
In February 2021, a new, updated Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide was published in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health publication series. In addition to Fimea's experts, representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Valvira and the Regional State Administrative Agencies participated in the Fimea-coordinated update project.
In connection with the publication of the guide, the Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide´s Implementation Project also coordinated by Fimea, was launched with the same project composition. The project continued the work to increase the use and awareness of the guide.
The aim has been to promote medication safety by increasing awareness of the Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide where pharmacotherapy is implemented.
Effective cooperation and communication in networks
The project was carried out in close cooperation with the Finnish Centre for Client and Patient Safety in Vaasa and with the organisations operating in the project group, Valvira, the Regional State Administrative Agencies and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Cooperation was also carried out with universities and other educational institutions, trade unions and social welfare and health care organisations.
The role of communication was significant throughout the project, as without timely communication directed to the correct stakeholders, the measures would not have reached the target group so extensively.
The publication of the guide, the progress of the project and various activities were effectively communicated in cooperation with other agencies in their own communication channels, including online news and tweets. A lot of communication cooperation was also carried out with the Finnish Centre for Client and Patient Safety and other partners.
We received many contacts related to the Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide during the implementation project. The more detailed questions related to the guide were answered together with experts from Valvira and the Regional State Administrative Agency, and the FAQ column that met the needs of the users of the guide, was drawn up based on these questions.
Medication safety promoted through lectures and communication materials
The project produced the Safe Pharmacotherapy website and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) column, videos, the checklist for the implementation of the Pharmacotherapy Plan infographic and several articles for the Sic! theme issue "Turvallinen lääkehoito" 1/2021.
A wide range of professionals from a wide range of operating environments, including outside social welfare and health care were reached with a series of lectures, webinars and workshops. A total of 33 lectures and webinars were organised and approximately 3,000 people participated in them.
https://youtu.be/UXX-uJ0qsuo (Finnish)
https://youtu.be/i4J2A_4zjxc (Swedish)
At the end of 2021, the Safe Pharmacotherapy Guide had been downloaded 31,387 times, and the Swedish version of the guide 1,165 times.
Approximately 3,000 people attended the 33 webinars and lectures, and
approximately 4,578 people visited the Safe Pharmacotherapy website.