Finns consider medicine counselling important 

The majority of the population consider it important to be able to receive medicine counselling from the pharmacy personnel when buying medicines. Also, when there is uncertainty about over-the-counter medicines, counselling is most commonly sought from a pharmacy.  

The information is revealed by Finnish Medicines Agency’s (Fimea) recently published Medicines Barometer 2025 population survey, which focused especially on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Based on the survey, users of medicines appreciate access to medicine counselling.  

– Very few users of OTC medicines are left without counselling when they need it. One third said they received useful counselling during their most recent pharmacy visit, and only two per cent were left without counselling in a situation where they would have wanted it, says Johanna Jyrkkä, Research and Development Specialist at Fimea. 

According to the survey, there are challenges in understanding the written information related to medicines among the population.  

– Almost one half find it difficult to understand the instructions of medicine packages from time to time. For this reason, medicine counselling  plays a key role in supporting the safe and correct use of medicines. It is important to ensure that everyone has access to reliable medicine information and expert conunselling, says Jyrkkä. 

Use of OTC medicines is common in Finland 

The use of OTC medicines is common in Finland: almost one half of the respondents had used OTC medicines during the previous week. Their use is clearly more common than mostly elsewhere in Europe. In Finland, OTC medicines are also considered as being easily accessible: 90 per cent of the respondents found it easy to get them when needed. 

According to the Medicines Barometer, slightly more than one half are not concerned about the adverse effects of OTC medicines. Furthermore, the proportion of respondents who consider OTC medicines completely harmless regardless of how they are used has doubled compared to the previous survey. 

– As the authority responsible for medication safety, we are concerned about the high level of use of OTC medicines by Finnish people and the increasing perception that OTC medicines are harmless and their use does not involve any risks. It is important to understand that OTC medicines are medicines with the same adverse effects and interactions as prescription medicines. They are typically sold only in smaller packages and for short-term use, says Eija Pelkonen, Director General of Fimea. 

Although the majority of the respondents felt that counselling on OTC medicines is easily available from pharmacies, many people trust their own knowledge.  

– Approximately one half of the respondents do not find a professional’s recommendations on the use of an OTC medicine necessary and would prefer to buy their OTC medicines without advice. However, although many people rely on their own knowledge, OTC medicines do involve risks that require the expertise of a pharmaceutical professional to be identified, Jyrkkä points out. 

OTC medicines are easy to get 

Almost all respondents feel that there are pharmacies close enough for them to get medicines easily. However, one fifth of the respondents had been in a situation during the past year where they needed an OTC medicine, but the pharmacy had been closed. Slightly less than one half of the respondents would be willing to buy their OTC medicines from a grocery store. Approximately one half of the respondents could buy the medicine from the online service of a pharmacy. 

– Compared to the results of the previous Medicines Barometer, the willingness to buy medicines online has declined. In addition, three quarters of customers would prefer to visit a pharmacy in person rather than order their medicines from an online pharmacy. This is a clearly larger share than before, says Reseacher Mella Louhisalmi from Fimea.  

Tenth anniversary of the Medicines Barometer 

The Medicines Barometer is a population survey conducted every two years to examine Finnish people's views and experiences of medicines. Fimea has been implementing the barometer for ten years since 2015. The Medicines Barometer complements information that registers provide on the population's use of medicines. 

The online survey was conducted by Verian in September-October 2025. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent out to a total of 7,875 Finnish Norstat internet panel members aged between 18 and 79 years. The sample was implemented as a stratified random sample, taking into account age, gender and residential area. The data was weighted to correspond with the population at the national level, which resulted in a weighted respondent count of 2,158. 

Read more 

Serial Publication Fimea Develops, Assesses and Informs 3/2026: Medicines Barometer 2025. Counselling is the cornerstone of successful medical treatment (www.julkari.fi, pdf in Finnish)

More information on the Medicines Barometer on the Fimea website