[Patient ombudsmen at the Rikshospitalet. Experiences with a 2-year trial]

A patient-ombudsman has been engaged in some somatic hospitals in order to improve the level of legal protection. This article deals with a two-year experiment at Rikshospitalet (The National University Hospital). Formal complaints against the hospital increased dramatically as a result of the presence of the ombudsman. Many more patients' complaints were assessed by medical experts. Hospital routines were also changed. The owner had to pay much more to patients who claimed damages. The executive work in the health service was not effective. It took a long time to process the claims for compensation, to reach a decision on proper and correct application of the law, and to actually pay the compensation. Patients and hospital staff alike evaluated the experiment positively. It has not yet been decided whether the arrangement should be established permanently.