Assessment: Self-care counselling carried out by the Finnish community pharmacies provides wellbeing service counties with more than half a billion euros of savings
In an evaluation we carried out for the Association of Finnish Pharmacies, we found that self-care counselling provided by the Finnish community pharmacies saves public health care service providers (wellbeing service counties) 518 million euros per year. We assessed the value of pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies from the perspectives of pharmacy customers, wellbeing service counties, and society. Savings for the providers result, for example, from reduction in primary care physician visits. According to the survey we addressed to Finnish physicians, these would increase by more than 20% without self-care counselling provided by the pharmacies.
According to our analysis, self-care counselling produces the most societal value among the areas of pharmaceutical work. Other areas include e.g. prescription medication counselling, checking prescriptions for errors and for medication interactions, and resolving them as needed.
In the assessment, we modelled the impact of the pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies for the year 2023 with an evaluation model based on published research, public and unpublished reports, and an electronic survey of Finnish physicians carried out in spring 2024. The Association of Finnish Pharmacies will present the full results of the assessment in autumn 2024.
Additional information: Erkki Soini
Association of Finnish Pharmacies: STT Info (https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/70406609/selvitys-apteekkien-itsehoitoneuvonta-tuo-hyvinvointialueille-yli-puolen-miljardin-euron-saastot?publisherId=2014&lang=fi) [In Finnish]
Picture: Association of Finnish Pharmacies/Vuokko Salo