Data Dictionary: Medicines Registry

forresearchers Go back to Database: Medicines Registry (Sweden) page

Variable Name	Definition
PNR	Personal number
PNRQ	Personal number quality. Variable that shows the quality of a personal number (PNR) according to certain predetermined rules.
ALDER	Age at the end of the year (Expedition year minus birth year)
KON	Gender
LKF	Patient's registered place of residence at the time of expedition. County, municipality, and parish. Only county and municipality from 2016 onwards.
LK	Patient's registered place of residence at the time of expedition. County and municipality.
EDATUM	Expedition date. Date when the patient purchased the item.
FDATUM	Prescription date. Date when the prescription was issued.
SDATUM	Start date of the current high-cost period.
INGAVG	Patient's accumulated own fee before the expedition (since the start date of the current high-cost period). This means the sum of own fees that the patient has paid during the ongoing high-cost period (only costs within the pharmaceutical benefits are included in ingavg).
PERIOD	Billing period. Year and month the expedition was billed.
OTYP	Type of order/sale. Indicates how the item has been ordered (compare to transaction type).
TRANSTYP	Transaction type. Indicates how the item has been ordered (broader categories than otyp).
URSPR	Origin of the prescription (how the prescription came to the pharmacy).
FTYP	Type of benefit within the framework of pharmaceutical benefits. Items defined "within the benefit" are discounted according to the benefit ladder. Those defined "outside the benefit" are not discounted. Refers to the benefit type at the time of expedition (benefit types can change over time, compare to the variable FORMAN).
STARTFP	Starter pack. Indicates whether the patient has received a starter pack or not. A starter pack is the smallest package size of a certain pharmaceutical product that a patient receives to try the medicine.
BYTET	A flag indicating whether the substitution of the prescribed item for a medically equivalent alternative at the pharmacy is allowed or not. It is only if the item of the period has not been dispensed that the reason for denied substitution is stated (if the item of the period has been dispensed, it is always stated 1=Yes/substitution allowed, regardless of whether the substitution was allowed by the prescriber or not).
BYTESK	Code indicating the type of substitution that occurred at the expedition, from the prescribed pharmaceutical product to a generic medicine, or alternatively to a parallel-imported or parallel-distributed medicine. Filled in only if substitution has occurred.
VARUTYP	Item type
ANTAL	Number of packages collected. For dose-dispensed medicines, the number of packages can be a decimal. Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
FANTAL	Prescribed number of packages, if different from the dispensed number. The variable is filled in only if a substitution at the pharmacy has resulted in more packages being collected than prescribed, or vice versa (e.g., if a larger package has been substituted for two smaller ones).
DOSER	Dosage text. Free text containing information on dosage, usage, and purpose. However, the information is often incomplete. Information on dosage and/or purpose is often missing. It may also simply state, e.g., "as needed" or "according to prescription". Note for research orders that this variable needs extensive processing to be included in statistical analyses. The variable is 1,024 characters long and significantly increases file size. The variable is never disclosed in statistical orders.
PATKOST	Patient's cost (excluding VAT). Calculated as the total cost minus the benefit cost. For medicines/items within the pharmaceutical benefits, this corresponds to what the patient pays themselves (own fee). For medicines outside the benefit, some costs may be covered by other types of subsidies and thus not paid by the patient themselves (e.g., infectious disease protection medicines). Note that patcost includes the additional cost (merkost). Therefore, the own fee can be greater than zero, even if the patient has reached the high-cost protection ceiling and the current expedition occurred within the pharmaceutical benefits. Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
LANKOST	Benefit cost/County cost (excluding VAT). The amount that the county pays for items included in the pharmaceutical benefits. Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
TKOST	Total cost (excluding VAT). The amount includes both the part that the patient pays themselves and the part that the county pays. Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
MOMS	VAT rate. Trade goods etc. 25%, food 12%, medicines 0%.
MERKOST	Additional cost (excluding VAT). The amount the patient pays if they choose a medicine other than the cheapest equivalent alternative (the difference). Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
APRIS	Price per package, including VAT.
UTFKAT	Issuer category code/Prescriber category code. Pharmacy code for the professional category authorized to issue prescriptions.
YRKE	Code for professional category from the register of licensed health and medical care personnel (HOSP).
UTBK	Education code for the prescriber, from the register of licensed health and medical care personnel (HOSP). Statistics Sweden's SUN code.
SPKOD1	Specialist education code 1. Code from the register of licensed health and medical care personnel (HOSP), indicating the prescriber's specialist competence. The prescriber's most recent specialist education.
SPKOD2	Specialist education code 2. Code from the register of licensed health and medical care personnel (HOSP), indicating the prescriber's specialist competence. The prescriber's second most recent specialist education.
SPKOD3	Specialist education code 3. Code from the register of licensed health and medical care personnel (HOSP), indicating the prescriber's specialist competence. The prescriber's third most recent specialist education.
ARBLAN	County code for the prescribing workplace. The variable is created based on the first two positions in the workplace code (assuming that the workplace code is correct).
ARBETSPL	Workplace code, according to the Workplace Code Register. Code for unique identification of the prescriber's organizational affiliation at the time of prescription. The code is defined and administered by the respective county, meaning that the key is only available to them.
AFORM	Ownership form, according to the Workplace Code Register.
VERKS	Operational orientation, according to the Workplace Code Register. Medical areas of activity classified by specialty and orientation. Primary care corresponds to VERKS codes 0–99, specialist care corresponds to codes 100 and above (see value sets in the VERKS tab).
VFORM	Care form, according to the Workplace Code Register. Questionable quality of the variable – instead use the variable VERKS for a corresponding purpose (primary care corresponds to VERKS codes 0–99, specialist care corresponds to codes 100 and above. See value sets in the VERKS tab).
EXPLAN	County code for the dispensing pharmacy.
VARUNR	Dispensed item number. The item number is a Nordic number for the identification of a pharmaceutical item or consumable. The item number is six digits and is in most cases unique to a particular item (a certain strength, pharmaceutical form, package size, and packaging type). However, the same item number may occur for several different packages, e.g., parallel import.
FVARUNR	Prescribed item number, if different from the dispensed one. The Nordic item number is a six-digit code unique to a particular item (a certain strength, pharmaceutical form, package size, and packaging type).
NPLPACKID	Dispensed item's NPL-pack-ID. NPL-pack-ID is a unique identifier of a pharmaceutical item according to NPL (National Product Register for Pharmaceuticals). Exists for all medicines but not for trade goods, aids, etc.
FNPLPACKID	Prescribed NPL-pack-ID, if different from the dispensed one. National Product Register for Pharmaceuticals. Exists for all medicines but not for trade goods, aids, etc.
VARUID	Dispensed item identity. Apoteket AB's item identity on a dispensed item. The ID concept was used until October 2010.
FVARUID	Prescribed item identity, if different from the dispensed one. Apoteket AB's item identity on a dispensed item. The ID concept was used until October 2010.
ATC	ATC code according to the World Health Organization, WHO. Classification code for grouping medicines at five levels. The ATC code classifies medicines by use and chemical substance. ATC codes start with letters A-V. Consumables have product group codes (assigned by the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency, TLV) starting with Y (these codes are also found in the ATC variable).
PRODUKT	Product name of the medicine or item.
LNMN	Contains the product name complemented by the dosage form and strength (sometimes also the manufacturer's/agent's name).
FORPDDD	Package DDD. Indicates how many Defined Daily Doses the package contains (number of days). DDD is the average daily dose when the medicine is used by an adult for the main indication. DDD information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013.
FDDD	Number of dispensed DDD. Indicates how many Defined Daily Doses (number of days) the dispensed amount contains (package DDD * number). DDD is the average daily dose when the medicine is used by an adult for the main indication. DDD information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013. Negative values occur if information has been corrected. The incorrect row is credited by registering a new row with a negative value.
DDD	DDD value (Defined Daily Dose) for the current medicine. DDD is the average daily dose when the medicine is used by an adult for the main indication. DDD information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013.
DDDENHET	DDD unit, e.g., mg or ml. DDD information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013.
FORPS	Package size. A composite description of the package size. Package size information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013.
ANTNUM	Package size in numeric form (without unit). Package size information is missing for licensed medicines since autumn 2013.
STYRKALF	Indicates the strength (concentration of the active substance) of the product in alphanumeric form.
STYRKNUM	Indicates the strength (concentration of the active substance) of the product in numeric form (without unit).
STYRKAENHET	Indicates the unit of strength (concentration of the active substance) for the product.
LFORM	Pharmaceutical form/dosage form. Form in which the medicine occurs.
RECB	Indicates whether the product is prescription or over-the-counter.
SUBNAMN	Indicates the ATC code or trade item in clear text.
HGRUPP	Trade item group in clear text (only for trade items).
HFORPS	Package size for trade items. Package size information is missing for items that came after 2014.
NARKKLASS	Narcotic class
NPLID	Dispensed NPL-ID. NPL-ID is a unique identifier of a pharmaceutical product (pharmaceutical product: named medicine with certain strength and pharmaceutical form) according to the National Product Register for Pharmaceuticals. Exists for all medicines but not for trade goods, aids, etc. Information on NPLID is missing for items that came after 2012.
PRISTYP	Price type. Only items that are included, or previously have been included, in a substitution group (a group of medicines that the Medical Products Agency has assessed as interchangeable, meaning they are medically equivalent) can be distinguished if they are generics or originals.
FORMAN	Indicates whether the dispensed item is included in the pharmaceutical benefit or not. Refers to the time when data was retrieved from the pharmaceutical register (whether an item is included in the benefit or not can change over time, compare to the variable FTYP).
PRODUKTTYP	Type of product dispensed.