TIPS FROM AN EXPERT
TEXT: MERVI LEINONEN ILLUSTRATION: KOTISAARI GRAPHIC MANAGEMENT OY
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO SUPPORT MEDICATION SAFETY The Falsified Medicines Directive introduces changes to the everyday tasks in pharmacies. In addition to equipment and system investments, a new task is added to the routine when the authenticity of medicine packages is ensured using the national medicine verification system. While the reform improves medication safety, it also makes it possible to get a deep insight into the health of the nation. Topi Hanhela, Director, Customer Relations & Business Development Company Pharmaceutical Information Centre Ltd Motto Think different Contact information laaketietokeskus.fi
Where to purchase a 2D scanner? NewIcon supplies 2D scanners to Iso-Fixu and Mega-Fixu medicine storage robots as well as to eMED ICON smart medicine cabinets. The sales department will contact your pharmacy when it is time to install and update the software of the robot. Sales Tel. +358 (0)10 322 1800 sales@newicon.fi
22
In Finland, a total of 60 million prescriptions are written every year. In the future, prescription medicine packages should be verified in the national medicine verification system. This would enable the mining of the collected data using artificial intelligence. “This would give us valuable information in terms of effectiveness on the use of medicines in different provinces and on the kind of problems it reflects. We would also be able to analyse the cost-effectiveness of medicines. It would be very interesting to mine the data collected in the system if a connection to the system was opened,” says Mr Topi Hanhela, the Director of Customer Relations & Business Development at the Pharmaceutical Information Centre.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ANSWERS MEDICINE-RELATED QUESTIONS The Pharmaceutical Information Centre has also harnessed artificial intelligence to serve the purposes of giving advice on medicines. The future vision is that the 2D codes on medicine packages direct to a web service intended for consumers where artificial intelligence answers simple questions regarding illnesses and medicines. Consumers would have access to the service using their smartphones. “We have got a huge database containing information on different illnesses and medicines for the artificial intelligence to utilise. There is already data in text format in