Refining regional data into national registers

Health data from local service providers are first stored in their own patient registers. These local records are then transferred to national data storages and registers, enabling data sharing as well as further refinement and analysis for secondary purposes, such as statistics or scientific research.

National data sources make it easier to access information that covers the whole country in a standardised format. For example, when a healthcare professional records information in an electronic patient information system, the data is also saved in the Kanta Services’ Patient Data Repository. Information about healthcare visits are also processed by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and stored in the Care Register.

The infographic below illustrates the data refinement process.

Next, we will take a closer look at some of the key data holders’ registers that contain information on care visits and medications.

All of the datasets described can be accessed via Findata. You will find data descriptions in the Data Resources Catalogue.