Data resource profile: Norwegian Databases for Drug Utilization and Pharmacoepidemiology

Authors

  • Hilchen Thode Sommerschild Department of Drug Statistics, Health data and digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  • Christian Lie Berg Department of Drug Statistics, Health data and digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  • Christian Jonasson Health data and digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  • Kari Jansdotter Husabø Department of Health Registries, Health data and digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  • Mohammad Nouri Sharikabad Department of Drug Statistics, Health data and digitalization, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v29i1-2.4040

Abstract

In this article we aim to give researchers and other users of drug utilization data a current overview of the two
nationwide Norwegian drug databases located at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), with
reference to some historical background. The first database, “The Norwegian Drug Wholesales Statistics”,
dating back to 1974, provides total sale figures of all medicines on the market. The second database, “The
Norwegian Prescription Database” (NorPD), dates back to 2004 and covers prescription drugs dispensed by
pharmacies. This database will be modernized during 2021 and renamed (“The Norwegian Prescribed Drug
Registry”, name not finally decided), and all historical data will be migrated to the modernized registry. In the
future, the most valuable add-on to the modernized prescription database will be individual level data from
in-patients in hospitals and health care institutions, and the possibility to obtain aggregated data from each
institution. Together, the two nationwide databases will continue to be the cornerstones of drug utilization data in Norway and should be used more extensively to improve health to the best for individuals and society. Development in national e-health programs will play a key role in providing easier and less time-consuming access to data and improve conditions for linkage of drug data to other health registries in the near future.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2021-08-16

How to Cite

Sommerschild, . H. T. ., Berg, C. L. ., Jonasson, C. ., Husabø, K. J. ., & Sharikabad, M. N. . (2021). Data resource profile: Norwegian Databases for Drug Utilization and Pharmacoepidemiology. Norsk Epidemiologi, 29(1-2). https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v29i1-2.4040