Statutory medication counseling from pharmacies

Pharmacies have a legal obligation to provide medication counseling to their customers, but the content of the advice is not clearly defined in the regulation. The aim of the project commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to the School of Pharmacy at the University of Eastern Finland, is to prepare a report that will help to develop the regulation of the statutory medication counseling during dispensing, taking into account the role of pharmacies as part of the pharmacotherapy treatment process and the multichannel nature of the supply of medicines.

The study defines the content of the counseling to be provided at the time of dispensing, taking into account the counseling on prescription and over-the-counter medicines and the needs of different groups of clients and patients (e.g. clients starting a new course of treatment, monitoring the success of treatment for the patient with a long-term illness).

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will use the report as background material for the Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacy Economy project, which aims to improve the effectiveness, safety and quality of pharmaceutical treatments.