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Patients should have more say in health care, says commission

medical worker with elderly person
The Quality Commission is supporting some projects to improve health care, including one focusing on nursing homes. © Keystone / Goran Basic

Patients in Switzerland should be more involved in health care decisions, says the Federal Quality Commission in its first annual report published on Tuesday.

There are also other “gaps” in the Swiss health system, including an overly sectoral approach, the commission’s vice-president, Bernhard Güntert, told a news conference in Bern. He said a lot of data used for research was not used enough to improve health care quality.

The Quality CommissionExternal link was appointed by the government in April 2021. It has 15 members, of which four representing health service providers (hospitals, doctors, nurses); two representing the cantons; two representing health insurers; two representing insured persons and patient organisations; and five scientific experts.

In its first year, the commission initiated two quality development programmes, according to the report. One focuses on quality improvements for nursing home residents, while the other aims to support health professionals in the interdisciplinary care of specific diseases.

The commission says it is also working closely with the Swiss Patient Safety Foundation, including a project to gather information on “near misses” and use it for improvements.

The quality commission has a total budget of CHF45 million ($46.5 million) for the years 2021 to 2024. One third of the money comes from the national government, one third from the cantons and one third from health insurers. Part of the budget will be used to provide financial support for practical projects.

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