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Development of information management in the next few years aims at more extensive utilisation of Kanta services

Publication date 25.3.2025 10.18
Type:News item

Kanta services are a national information resource system to support daily care and services, but they are also increasingly used as a source of information for knowledge-based management and research. The aim of the development is to enable the smoother utilisation of healthcare and social welfare data both in day-to-day work and in improving the service system.

The national information management system for social welfare and health care consists of Kanta services and other solutions. Promoting healthcare and social welfare integration, supporting knowledge-based decision-making and increasingly international information management will guide the development of Kanta services in this decade.

Key areas to solve in healthcare and social welfare include the anticipation of service needs, adequacy of personnel and cost management. Information management provides a means to create a knowledge base to support decisions. The full potential can only be unlocked by introducing national services and co-developing data quality.

Realisation of benefits requires everyone to take action

During the next couple of years, features facilitating the work of healthcare and social welfare professionals will be introduced. They include the right of access to information between social welfare and healthcare services, electronic certificates and their transmission, and booking healthcare appointments.

“It is never just a question of changing the information system, but rather a change in operations and making the work of professionals easier through information management,” emphasises Anna Sandberg, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

The process of introducing the system should be launched early to make sure that system suppliers receive the orders in good time before the statutory deadlines and enable successful integration into other system development. More attention should also be paid to usability aspects starting in the planning stage.

A common, longer-term goal is created by valuing alternative development targets

“The health and social services reform is supported by strengthening the continuity of care and services and the flow of information between sectors,” says Päivi Achté, Chief Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Joint health and social services require joint information management that works smoothly.

A clear, long-term perspective for developing information management in healthcare and social welfare is important so that everyone involved can commit to the development efforts and the desired benefits can also be realised in the work of professionals. The more committed the operators are to long-term development, the more likely professionals are to benefit from the information management solutions.

Continuity of care and services requires more comprehensive national healthcare data content  

As resources are shrinking, the full benefits produced by information management should be unlocked as soon as possible, Anna Sandberg emphasises.

In the next few years, the following nationally prioritised data content and features will bring benefits:

  • A single common, comprehensive and up-to-date list of all medications prescribed to a patient will enhance the management of medications and improve patient safety.
  • Saving certificates and statements in the Kanta system and submitting them to the authorities electronically will speed up decision-making.
  • Smoother utilisation of data between sectors will support the integration of healthcare and social welfare services.
  • The joint data of healthcare and social welfare services on functional capacity will support the monitoring of the effectiveness of services and client inclusion.
  • Managing appointments is easier when the appointment information is displayed in the Kanta service.
  • The information from the assessment of care needs can be utilised in the treatment process across organisational boundaries.
  • The Kanta service also includes a summary of screening results.

More benefits with fewer entries

In the future, Kanta will also be a key source of information in THL’s National data repository for welfare and healthcare and social welfare services i.e. the hyte-sote data repository. The national data repository meets the needs of knowledge-based management and research. Making overlapping records will be reduced when the data stored once can be utilised rationally for various purposes using the national data repository.

The potential of using health data between EU countries will expand in the next few years, as harmonising health data will enable the transfer of data between EU countries. Kanta services provide the foundation for implementing the requirements of new legislation in Finland. Kanta services are used to organise the international exchange of health data when citizens move around different countries.

As social welfare services join Kanta, the integration of healthcare and social welfare services will improve and the knowledge base will get stronger 

One priority in information management is the integration of social welfare services into the Kanta system. The smooth flow of information is essential for the entire service system when social welfare data is fully integrated into the Kanta services. The Kanta services enable transferring the necessary information between social welfare services and healthcare.

Nationally uniform information on the use of social services is already available, for example, through the social welfare monitoring register. The development path of the monitoring register describes the future development of the register and its expanding data contents.

Key areas to solve in healthcare and social welfare include the anticipation of service needs, adequacy of personnel and cost management. Information management provides a means to create a knowledge base to support decisions. The full potential can only be unlocked by introducing national services and co-developing data quality. 

More on the subject

The development roadmap and priorities describe the new data content and features added to Kanta in the next few years.

Päivi Achte
Chief Specialist
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
firstname.lastname(at)thl.fi

Anna Sandberg
Senior Specialist
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
firstname.lastname(at)gov.fi
Information management in social welfare and health care Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla kanta - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla sostiedonhallinta - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla sote - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla terveydenhuolto - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla tiedonhallinta - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla - Tiedonhallinta sosiaali- ja terveysalalla