Implementation of personalised medicine in Estonia

TEHIK and the National Institute for Health Development together with other partners are implementing the project „Personalised Medicine in Estonia“ (2019–2022), preparing for the wider use of genetic data by doctors and nurses.

In Estonia, health data is compiled into a unified health information system, and knowledge of the genomic data of almost 20% of the country's population is available. This creates a unique opportunity to apply personal medicine so that adding genetic information to health data allows for better prevention and treatment.

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What is personalised medicine ?

Personalised medicine is an approach that helps to find the most individual possible prevention or treatment plan for each person by analysing the health data of the person and their relatives together with the lifestyle and environmental data.

Project activities

The project of implementing personal medicine will help to increase the use of genetic data. The preconditions for the use of genetic data will be created by the end of 2022, and the services of personalised medicine will become available in 2023.

The first services to include genetic data are personalised drug recommendations and the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

Projekti keskmes on IT-taristu loomine

 

Selleks, et geneetiline info jõuaks tervishoiutöötaja töölauale, on vajalik arendada:

  • Geneetiliste andmete infosüsteem
  • Geneetiliste riskimudelite halduse ja seire keskkond
  • Personaalmeditsiini arvutuskeskkond, kus projekti käigus luuakse võimekus arvutada
laborant
  1. the genetic risk of cardiovascular diseases
  2. the genetic risk of breast cancer
  3. pharmacogenetic risks (for giving recommendations in determining the active substances of medicines)
  • Information systems for agreements
  • Environment for personal health and  drug recommendations

We will create a legal framework and ensure compliance with quality requirements

We will create a legal framework for offering the services of personalised medicine.

We will create a system for ensuring the compliance with quality requirements of the service providers

We will inform the public

We provide information to the public in the preparation of personalised medical services.

We will train health workers

We will train healthcare professionals to extensively use of genetic data while making prevention and treatment decisions, in providing public services and in advising patients. The basic training in medical genomics and personal medicine is intended to update and harmonise knowledge, and the second training introduces new applications in personal medicine. We offer the basic training free of charge in both contact and e-learning formats from October 2021 to December 2022.

Project participants and their roles

The project is implemented by the National Institute for Health Development together with the University of Tartu, the Health and Welfare Information Systems Centre (TEHIK), Estonian Health Insurance Fund and the Ministry of Social Affairs.   

The project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

 

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