Sweden has a health-data system with great coverage, but which is highly heterogenous and fragmented. It is in some ways a reflection of the total health system but in the past years decisions have been taken on changes that enable a more sustainable, connected, holistic way of viewing, regulating, and controlling the system, for example “Kunskapsstyrningen” and the processes outlined in “Läkemedelsutredningen”. Steps have been taken in the same direction regarding health data, but the usage of the services built have remained in silos and the system as a whole has gained little benefit from the IT infrastructure investments.

Create optimal national datasets based on existing infrastructure

Key is the national service platform (“Nationella Tjänsteplattformen”, NTjP) which in theory could be the gate to all the health data generated in Swedish healthcare but which in practise is not used for research and follow up. Enabling this kind of usage would revolutionize the way research is done and the way evaluation of health investments is done, it would be a truly disruptive move.

Sweden needs a structured model to prepare for introductions of these new innovations in healthcare. That model will also in itself give rise to new innovations since data will be the basis for much of the innovative work in future healthcare, for example regarding predictive algorithms.

The Vinnova sponsored project From horizon scanning to future/follow-up aims to create solutions to facilitate structured introductions and control over the economic investments needed. This, by answering the following questions:

• How can automated data collected into registers increase the quality of data
• How can digitalized side effect reporting support innovations
• Is it possible to build a national platform for data-generated medicinal products to share their data with the health care professionals?
• How can an algorithm predict the need of an Hepatitis B patient?
• How can payment models facilitate innovations?
• How can the Swedish health care system increase the use of national platforms to facilitate patients and innovations?

The project started in September 2020 and has since then produced reports on the above-mentioned questions. The final report will be handed into Vinnova in September 2022.

More information:

Martina Breitenau
Project Manager
martina.breitenau(at)bcbmedical.com