The quality and cost of medical care in Sweden.

Swedish examples are used in favor of recent WHO recommendations of quality assurance. Even prior to present efforts at savings, the autopsy frequency in Swedish hospitals dropped 2% per year. Only 31% of Swedish out-patients see the same doctor on subsequent visits, and since few have a personal physician, emergency ward visits increase about 4% per year. Laboratory errors and uncertain diagnoses seem to be of the order of 20%, at least in some conditions.