News & Events
This page contains information on news and events related to
Finohta and evidence-based health care. The most recent news are
listed first.
Antibiotic prescribing should be
standardised across Europe to help tackle resistance
Published 26 June 2009 / UMR
Antibiotic prescribing for respiratory illnesses should be
standardised across Europe to help reduce inappropriate prescribing
and resistance, say experts in a study published on bmj.com on 24th
June 2009.
Antibiotic resistance is a major health care problem worldwide.
Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, particularly for respiratory
illnesses, has been blamed for driving the problem. There is also
good evidence that most antibiotic prescriptions do not help
otherwise healthy patients with common respiratory tract infections
get better any quicker.
Researchers of the EU funded Network of Excellence
GRACE set
out to describe variation in antibiotic prescribing for acute cough
in primary care across Europe, and its impact on recovery. Senior
Medical Officer Ulla-Maija Rautakorpi at Finnish Office for Health
Technology Assessment Finohta acted as the National Network
Coordinator of the Finnish branch of the study.
Article
Press release (BMJ)
Towards more uniform
prenatal screening programmes
Published 27 February 2008 / EP
 Prenatal
screening programmes are to be harmonised in Finland by
2010.
Finohta (the Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment) at
STAKES has been commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and
Health to plan and implement a national training programme with a
view to harmonising prenatal screening practices.
The training programme is targeted at representatives of
municipalities and hospital districts who are involved in prenatal
screening.
"Although the municipalities do have the right to decide
independently on their prenatal screening programmes, expectant
parents in Finland need reliable and uniform information about the
tests. The parents should also be given the opportunity to make an
informed decision on whether to participate in the programme", says
Niina Kovanen, Development Manager from
Finohta.
The provision of prenatal screening is regulated by a Government
Decree from 2006, which aims to increase the uniformity and quality
of screening programmes. The national screening programme also
includes guidelines on prenatal screening tests.
Information leaflets to parents
Finohta has drawn up two information leaflets on prenatal
screening that are to be handed out to expectant parents. One
leaflet provides information on the available voluntary screening
tests for chromosomal and structural abnormalities. The other is
intended for pregnant women who have received prenatal screening
results where a foetal chromosomal or structural abnormality is
suspected.
The leaflets are also available in Swedish and English.
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