RESEARCH THEMES

LOW-VALUE CARE AND DE-IMPLEMENTATION IN FINNISH HEALTH CARE (WP2)

Work Package Leader:
Miia Turpeinen
Professor, senior medical officer, University of Oulu
miia.turpeinen@ppshp.fi

Researchers:
Jorma Komulainen
M.D., docent, editor-in-chief, Duodecim
jorma.komulainen@duodecim.fi

Kari Tikkinen
M.D., Professor of Urology, University of Helsinki
kari.tikkinen@helsinki.fi

Raija Sipilä
M.D., managing editor, Duodecim
raija.sipilä@duodecim.fi

Petra Falkenbach
Master of Health Science, PhD Student, University of Oulu
petra.falkenbach@ppshp.fi

Aleksi Raudasoja
Lic. Med., researcher, Duodecim
aleksi.raudasoja@duodecim.fi

Outi Laatikainen
PhD, researcher, University of Oulu
outi.laatikainen@oulu.fi

Our focus 

One goal in the use of evidence-based medicine is that new methods replace old ones, when new methods are developed and evidence of their effectiveness in comparison to older methods is accumulating.  De-implementation of low-value care (e.g. inappropriate, obsolete, ineffective, inefficient, unwanted or otherwise unnecessary health interventions) is essential for minimizing patient harm and maximizing efficient use of resources, as well as for improving population health and maintaining public trust. In practice, de-implementation is often slow, and the process is not performed in a systematic manner. There is also little information about what are the best ways to perform the necessary de-implementation actions.  

 

What we do 

We clarify factors that affect de-implementation of low-value care and explore how Smart to Avoid Recommendations works in practice, and how these recommendations are accepted in Finland.  

We develop a process for de-implementation in work communities, design support materials for professionals and patients, and study the efficacy of a tailored, multifactorial de-implementation strategy in real-life health care settings