Why Scandinavia
Healthcare in Scandinavia – Sweden as an example
One of the decisions being made when planning for medical treatment is in which country the treatment should be conducted. This makes comparisons between countries valuable. They give an indication of the quality of the health system in the country.
Infant Mortality Rate
The infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births. This rate is often used as an indicator of the quality level of health system in a country.
| Rank | Country | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 2,17 |
| 2 | Sweden | 2,73 |
| 3 | Iceland | 3,17 |
| 4 | Italy | 3,33 |
| 5 | France | 3,34 |
| 6 | Spain | 3,35 |
| 7 | Finland | 3,38 |
| 8 | Norway | 3,47 |
| 9 | Germany | 3,48 |
| 10 | Malta | 3,62 |
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy equals the average number of years a person born in a given country would live. The life expectancy is shown as a combined figure for men and women. The figures reflect to a large extent the quality of healthcare in a country.
| Rank | Country | RATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan, Switzerland | 83 |
| 3 | Italy Australia Sweden Israel Spain Iceland France Canada | 82 |
Academic Ranking
Academic Ranking of European Universities in Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy – 2013. Sweden, home to the Nobel Prize, has a long tradition of leading edge research and competence in medicine and pharmacy.
| Rank | University | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 2 | Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| 3 | University of London | UK |
| 4 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 5 | The Imperial College | UK |
| 6 | University of Nottingham | UK |
| 7 | Kings College London | UK |
| 8 | Leiden University | NL |
| 9 | University of Zurich | Swizz |
| 10 | University of Amsterdam | NL |
| 11 | University of Munich | Germany |
Survival Rate – Cervical Cancer
Colorectal cancer, five-year relative survival rate, %, 2004-09. There is compelling evidence in support of the clinical benefit of improved surgical techniques, radiation therapy and combined chemotherapy.
| Rank | Country | Survival, 5 year, % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 78,2 |
| 2 | Korea | 76,8 |
| 3 | Japan | 70,2 |
| 4 | Slovenia | 70,2 |
| 5 | Sweden | 68,1 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 68,1 |
| 7 | France | 67,3 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 67 |
| 9 | Finland | 66,3 |
| 10 | Belgium | 65,3 |
| 11 | Portugal | 65,1 |
| 12 | Canada | 64,9 |
| 13 | US | 64,4 |
| 14 | Denmark | 64,3 |
| 15 | Germany | 62,9 |
Survival Rate – Breast Cancer
Breast cancer five-year relative survival rate, %, 2004-09. Breast cancer survival rates reflect advances in greater awareness of the disease, screening programmes and improved treatment.
| Rank | University | Survival, 5 year % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | US | 89,3 |
| 2 | Japan | 87,3 |
| 3 | Canada | 86,6 |
| 4 | Norway | 86,5 |
| 5 | Finland | 86,3 |
| 6 | Belgium | 86,2 |
| 7 | Sweden | 86 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 84,5 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 84,4 |
| 10 | Germany | 83,3 |
| 11 | France | 82,8 |
| 12 | Korea | 82,2 |
| 13 | Portugal | 82 |
| 14 | Denmark | 82 |
| 15 | UK | 81,3 |
Survival Rate – Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer, five-year relative survival rate, %, 2004-09. There is compelling evidence in support of the clinical benefit of improved surgical techniques, radiation therapy and combined chemotherapy.
| Rank | Country | Survival 5 year % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 68 |
| 2 | Belgium | 66,1 |
| 3 | United States | 64,5 |
| 4 | Korea | 63,7 |
| 5 | Canada | 63,4 |
| 6 | Norway | 63,1 |
| 7 | Austria | 63,1 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 62,1 |
| 9 | Finland | 61,8 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 61 |
| 11 | Sweden | 60,7 |
| 12 | Germany | 60,4 |
| 13 | Portugal | 57,4 |
| 14 | France | 57 |
| 15 | Slovenia | 55,8 |
Sources
- CIA the world fact book. Infant Mortality Rate. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012 (Older data). Retrieved May 15, 2013. Excluding countries less that 200.000 inhabitants
- CIA The world factbook Life Expectancy. Cia.gov. Retrieved 2012-03-22. Excluding countries less that 200.000 inhabitants
- The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is published and copyrighted by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy
- OECD (2011), Health at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing
Facts and data: healthcare provision in Sweden
No two country’s health care systems will ever be identical. However, comparative analyses reveal the effectiveness of Sweden’s health care model as well as the proficiency of Swedish healthcare professionals in delivering high quality, sustainable care. The latest independent report reinforces this, which is from 2013 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
[su_spacer]Background to the Sweden healthcare system
The country of Sweden has a long tradition of delivering high quality, economically viable healthcare. For many years Sweden’s health care system has regularly ranked at or near the top of most comparative analyses of various international health care systems. For instance, the Swedish health care system ranked #2 overall in a study published in 2004 by an independent Canadian research institute, the Conference Board of Canada. According to their report, the quality of health care in Sweden is generally good, for example:
- 90% of people using primary care in Sweden said they were treated with respect and consideration by staff
- Sweden’s quality registers, which track the quality of care that patients receive and outcomes for several conditions, are among the most developed across the OECD
- Rates of avoidable hospitalisation for chronic conditions such as asthma (22.2 per 100 000 population) are among the lowest in the OECD (average 45.8)
- Sweden has a larger share of elderly people than most OECD countries: 5.2% are over 80, compared to the average of 4.2%
- Spending on elderly care is 3.6% of GDP, compared to an OECD average of 1.7%
- Sweden has the highest number of elderly care workers per capita
The report also pinpoints challenges ahead for Sweden health care system. According to the report, an ageing population with growing chronic conditions and requiring more complex health services are testing Sweden’s ability to continue delivering high-quality care.
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”The Swedish health care system is often considered a model for other countries to emulate, both because of its excellent outcomes compared to OECD countries and several well-developed strategies to assure and improve the quality of its health care…Sweden’s generous health care system performs well on most quality indicators.”
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Note:
* Different countries collect data for specific domestic purposes. OECD is working toward identifying relevant and reliable indicators to assess the performance of different health care systems. We believe that the OECD figures are the best currently available.
