Meds75+ and the National Risk Medicines Classification are information products offered by Fimea for daily health care

Fimea promotes medication safety by offering information products based on evidence and expert opinion to support the work of health care professionals. Meds75+ and the Risk Medicines Classification support health care professionals in planning, starting and monitoring medication, all the way until the medication is discontinued.

The National Risk Medicines Classification was published in the spring

In April 2023, Fimea published the National Risk Medicines Classification. High-risk medicines in the classification are medicines the use of which requires special attention. When used correctly, they may cause no more hazardous situations than other medicines, but their incorrect use may have serious consequences for the patient. The classification helps identify key high-risk medicines and ensure their safe use. It supports the planning and implementation of medicinal treatment and clinical decision-making.

The classification has been prepared in cooperation with the Customer and Patient Safety Centre, project group experts and expert panellists participating in the Delphi study. The National Risk Medicines Classification was circulated for public statements in early 2023. Fimea is responsible for the maintenance of the information content and coordinates its updating.

Meds75+ has been in use for ten years

Meds75+, the maintenance of which is the responsibility of Fimea, has been in use for more than 10 years. Meds75+ guides people to take changes related to ageing into account in the selection of medicines. The information content in Meds75+ is produced by a working group consisting of experts in pharmacotherapy for older people, which produces a drug-specific class (A-D) and a concise recommendation text on the suitability of the medicine for use by people aged 75 or over on a consensus basis.

In 2023, the reform of the Meds75+ information production process began. The maintenance process has been manual and thus susceptible to errors and has taken up a lot of working time. There was therefore a clear need to reform the information production process.

The aim is to improve the usability and recognition of the information products

The development project of Meds75+ and Risk Medicine Classification was carried out in cooperation with Solita. The project developed the information production of information products and developed new digital solutions and technologies. The aim of the development work was better access to the information content of both information products for their end users, for example by offering the possibility of integration with other systems. In addition, the quality and structure of the information content was improved.

At the service design stage at the beginning, the development work was based on interviews with various stakeholders, such as end users of the information products. The interviewees extensively heard the experiences of the users of the information and identified new needs related to information production.

During the autumn, we also started information product branding work with our communications partner Valve Branding. The aim is to improve the recognition of Meds75+ and Risk Medicine Classification. We also updated the visual identity of the products.

Development project improved information production processes and developed working methods

With regard to Meds75+, the development project focused on streamlining the work of the expert working group. The project developed working methods for information production and automated manual information production processes. The end result was a new working platform, which was introduced in December 2023.

The new information production process can guarantee better and better-quality information content and reduce the vulnerability of information production and the resources needed for updating it. Improving the structuring of information promotes the integration of information with other health care applications and databases.

During the development project, the extensive information content of the risk drug classification could be structured in a way that it could be transferred to Saga, the register of medicinal products and marketing authorisations maintained by Fimea. Exporting information content to Saga enables the formation of an interface and thus the easy use and integration of information in Fimea’s medicines search, for example.

Knowledge products support medicines safety work in wellbeing services counties

With the help of the information products offered by Fimea, the management of wellbeing services counties as well as health care professionals have up-to-date evidence-based information to support their work. Management plays a key role in creating a good safety culture. In medication safety work, the perspective should be shifted from searching for guilty persons (individuals perspective) to broader operational development (systems perspective). Ensuring medication safety is a multi-professional and multi-level process, and ultimately also under the responsibility of the drug user when they carry out their medication themselves.

Careful planning of operations and training of personnel can improve medication safety. Induction of personnel and their guidance in the use of information products helps to select safer medicines for the use of older people and to prevent hazardous events related to risk medicines.

Meds75+ (fimea.fi)

National Risk Medicines Classification (fimea.fi)