The first Swedish breastcancer care ranking reveals numerous consumer flaws

Every third Swedish county council does not follow the national recommendation to offer every woman between the ages of 40 and 74 a regular breast screening. As many counties require a GP referral to permit a visit to a breastcancer specialist. The 2006 Breastcancer Care Index reveals huge variations around Sweden in the use of Herceptin, a key life-saving therapy, and very different policies regarding how long you have to wait for the result of your screening.

The Index, for the first time measuring the consumer-friendliness of Swedish breastcancer care, is built from ten indicators comparing information, service and medical outcomes. The Index findings is a blow to the Swedish image of equity in care.

- Depending on where you live - or where you go for a diagnosis or treatment - your chances can differ a lot, concludes Oscar Hjertqvist, the Health Consumer Powerhouse index director Sweden. Some of the 21 counties offer you user-friendly procedures, others stay with the old protocol. The post-code lottery is not only a matter of access to new medication but also to good breast reconstruction practice and accessible tests.

- Nowhere in Sweden are there drop-in facilities offering screening without appointments and the result of the screening the same day. The single successful drop-in clinic now has chosen to restrict that possibility. Not a consumer-friendly policy, is Oscar Hjertqvists judgement.

The index was presented November 30, 2006 at the National Swedish Medical Convention in Gothenburg. The Index winners are the counties of Stockholm and Norrbotten, both scoring 13 out of potentially 16 points. The index average - 8,6 points - indicates though there is room for significant improvement in most counties!

You can find the English version here