Better Healthcare Quality and Public Debate
By measuring and publishing regional and hospital results, a framework for comparing Swedish healthcare has contributed to the following:
- A national tracking system for healthcare results with over 170 performance indicators
- Improved results in terms of clinical outcome, patient experience, waiting time and efficient resource use
- A broadened focus in the healthcare debate: in addition to costs, outcome is measured and discussed
- Increased interest in measuring patient reported outcome
National Initiative Drives Improvement
From 2006 onwards, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare have published a yearly report called “Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Health Care – Regional Comparisons”, based on the assumption that comparisons are a powerful way of driving performance improvement. Some reports are available in english.
Latest report in english:
Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Healtcare — Regional comparisons 2010 (pdf)
Performance Data Supports Healthcare Management
Prior to the establishment of this tracking system, political leaders and healthcare managers had little support in their management of the local and regional healthcare systems in terms of easily available, comparative outcome data.
Unique Data Sources
Sweden has excellent conditions for register-based performance measurement. The indicators in the Regional Comparisons are based on national quality registries and national health data registries. By using the personal identity number assigned to each Swedish resident, different national healthcare databases can be linked.
Quality Registries (new window)
The National Board of Health and Welfare, statistics (new window)
Sweden - A Decentralized System
In the Swedish healthcare system, county councils and regions, governed by political assemblies, are responsible for supplying healthcare services.
Levels of local democracy in Sweden (ppt-format)
About Swedish health care - sweden.se (new window)
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"We are very pleased to see a large number of improved results, since that is the very purpose of the Regional Comparisons. They create a dialogue about medical results and spur improvement."
Håkan Sörman,
CEO of the Swedish
Association of Local Authorities and Regions
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