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Svante remembers Lars with whom the idea for action research that has since transformed healthcare in Sweden, started…
“It was the early 2000s, I visited Lars at his home. During a conversation with him and his wife, Hilda, some light bulbs went on. Back then Lars, who is no longer with us, was a patient with severe respiratory insufficiency, dependent on oxygen and only able to take a few steps at a time:
“Lars and I have accepted the situation,” said Hilda. “It’s been a long time now and, somehow, we have gotten used to it.” Lars added: “Yes, believe it or not, but there are still days when we can really enjoy life, being together, the two of us, reading books, looking at old photographs, solving cross-words… But what really worries me is when I have moments of impairment. There is no one to turn to!”
“Yes,” Hilda filled in, “isn’t it remarkable that, although we have a hospital, and a local doctor and nurse, it is somehow very difficult in Sweden, to get hold of anyone to give advice! We often just have to call the ambulance and then we spend hour after hour in the emergency ward.”
Lars added: “Care at the hospital is excellent. But only once you get to it! When you eventually get help, things work perfectly. But why don’t you help us more quickly? Before things get worse?”
Hilda: “I get so anxious; it is on me to decide what to do in these situations. Who to call and when and what to say. It is such a huge responsibility for me. I don’t know so much about medicine. I long for someone who can give advice and help us.”
This is the opening vignette of the story of healthcare transformation in Sweden that went on to raise patient health outcomes, while decreasing costs by 90%. It all developed in patient centric fashion - putting people like Lars at the center of the redesign.
Convening key stakeholders of the healthcare system in learning platforms around the patient’s needs. The results have already well exceeded expectations with massive cost reduction, increase in patient satisfaction and their health outcomes, as well as reduction in stress for the healthcare delivery teams…
How did they do it?
By making patients the center of attention in redesigning healthcare delivery.
How did they do that?
By bringing stakeholders such as healthcare delivery teams and patients into learning platforms together to dialogue, design, reflect together and take the best experiments to the next level.
Simple!
Well hardly…read more in the upcoming Cooking with Action Research Book.
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