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Trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, 1974-1985
1Department of Social Medicine, Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala, Sweden.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|October 1, 1992
Summary
Swedish avoidable mortality trends reveal changes in healthcare quality. The study highlights the sensitivity of avoidable mortality analysis for tracking public health improvements and identifying areas needing better medical care.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Quality Assessment
Background:
- Avoidable mortality serves as a key indicator for assessing healthcare quality and public health outcomes.
- Understanding trends in avoidable deaths is crucial for identifying effective public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in avoidable mortality in Sweden between 1974 and 1985.
- To refine the methodology of avoidable mortality as an index for evaluating the quality of healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of all deaths among Swedish citizens and residents aged 0-64 years from 1974-1985.
- Classification of avoidable causes of death into 'preventable' and 'treatable' categories based on Rutstein's criteria.
Main Results:
- Total mortality declined during the study period.
- Treatable diseases decreased more significantly in men than overall mortality.
- While some avoidable causes decreased, others like pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer showed increasing death rates in specific populations.
Conclusions:
- The avoidable mortality method effectively captures significant shifts in mortality patterns.
- Defining treatable and preventable causes enhances epidemiological analysis.
- Future research should integrate this method with structural and process-based healthcare assessments for a comprehensive quality evaluation.