Timeline of and Expectations for the National Medication List in Sweden.

Abstract

It is important to separate the continuous chains of medications orders (or decisions by the prescriber) in modern electronic health records from the one-way communication of prescriptions from healthcare to pharmacies. To support the self-administration of prescribed drugs the patient needs a continuously updated list of medication orders. For the NLL to function as a safe resource for the patient, it is necessary to have the information updated, curated, and documented by prescribers in a one-step process within the electronic health record. Four of the Nordic countries have chosen separate ways trying to achieve this. The experiences and obstacles during the introduction of the mandatory National Medication List (NLL) in Sweden and the resulting delays are described. The planned integration for 2022 is now delayed to 2025 and will probably only be achieved in 2028 or even 2030 in some regions.