[The practice of prioritising--using the example of the Swedish cardiology guideline].

In the Swedish priority guidelines, as opposed to traditional guidelines issued by professional associations, measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases are assigned a priority value of 1 (high priority) through 10 (low priority). In its recent 2008 version this list also comprises procedures that should not be performed and those that should only be performed in the context of research projects. The government commissions the development of this list which will then be elaborated by a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. In addition to scientific evidence, the prioritylists incorporate ethical and economical aspects. Examples from the Swedish guidelines will be discussed. The impact and limits of the priority lists will be described.