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Comparing Results to Improve Healthcare

Each year the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW) and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) publish a joint report entitled Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Health Care – Regional Comparisons.

 


Transparent results can change the Cancer World

poster cancerIn 2011 the Government mandated the NBHW to collaborate with SALAR on a special edition for cancer care. Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Cancer Care – Regional Comparisons reflect care quality for ten common forms of cancer in Sweden. The report compares the various counties in terms of medical outcomes, patient experience and waiting times.

The dual purpose of the report is to provide supporting data for decision makers at various levels who are attempting to improve cancer care while offering the general public insight into what publicly financed cancer care is accomplishing.

Full report and all charts in separate files  (PDF-portfolio)

Order report as printed book (new window)

National Board of Health and Welfare

International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare

Symposium: Improving Long-Term Conditions, Tuesday 17 April 2012
Poster: "Transparent results can change the cancer world" (PDF)


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 full report in english:
Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Healtcare — Regional comparisons 2010 (pdf)

Special edition 2011 – Cancer care: 
Quality and Efficiency in Swedish Cancer Care — Regional comparisons 2011 (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

Sweden - A Decentralized System

In the Swedish healthcare system, county councils and regions, governed by political assemblies, are responsible for supplying healthcare services.
About Swedish health care - sweden.se


 

 "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