What does primary use mean?

Health data are accumulated throughout a person’s life in Finland.

Data is generated every time we use healthcare services: measurements taken at maternity and child welfare clinics, notes from doctor’s visits, prescriptions, laboratory results, and imaging examinations are all stored in patient information systems. In addition, data may also be recorded in other registers, for example related to social security, education or taxation.

The recording of health and social data is always carried out by professionals. Doctors, nurses, and other social and health care providers enter data so that care can be planned, provided, and monitored.

Recording data is a legal requirement: for instance, patient data must be logged to ensure patient safety, high-quality care, and the fulfillment of official regulatory obligations.

This is referred to as the primary use of health and social data, meaning that data are used for the original purpose for which they were collected – namely, the treatment and service of individuals within the social and health care system.