ABSTRACT
Sweden has built over 100 databases and systems that collect, store, and enable the use of clinical data for the benefit of patients. This chapter describes how these systems were developed and utilized, and explores their future role. The Swedish National Quality Registers play an increasingly important role for many different stakeholders: they have become a strategically important asset in Sweden's quest to become a knowledge-based economy and a center of global medical innovation. The clinical practice improvements made possible by the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register (SRQ) include patients self-managing their diseases. Rather than regular checkups, patients can schedule a doctor or nurse appointment when needed, significantly reducing wait times. The introduction of expensive biologic drugs in 2000 led to some funding for the SRQ from the drugs industry, as the registry agreed to include a reporting facility to allow physicians to report specific drug events.
