Achieving care: promoting alternatives to industrial healthcare

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Fog Heen A, Montori VM
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019;149:w20115

So-called industrial healthcare provides patients, who may have poorly understood problems, with standardised care, rather than care particularised for that individual patient.

Planning ahead with dementia: what role can advance care planning play? A review on opportunities and challenges

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Bosisio F, Jox RJ, Jones L, Rubli Truchard E
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14706

Taking care of someone with dementia poses a significant challenge for both relatives and professionals. Advance care planning can empower patients with dementia and their relatives to exert control over future care.

Motivational interviewing increases autopsy rates

Original article
Rosenberg I, Gierer B, Flury R, Battegay E, Balmer PE
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14679

Autopsies are a crucial source of medical knowledge. Autopsy rates have decreased in Switzerland and many other countries. Communication between clinicians and the deceased’s sceptical relatives is crucial to obtain autopsy permission.

Video analysis for the evaluation of vaginal births

Viewpoint
Hamza A
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14658

Video analysis for the evaluation of vaginal births: a comment

Viewpoint
Pecks U, Alkatout I
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14654

The great strength of video technology lies in providing information about medical knowledge and practice. For the benefit of the patient, new technical achievements should be implemented in concepts of continuing medical education.

Patient experience in primary care: association with patient, physician and practice characteristics in a fee-for-service system

Original article
Cohidon C, Wild P, Senn N
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14601

Nowadays we typically use patient experience as a quality of care indicator, although this has some limitations. However, the findings are somewhat inconsistent or even conflicting.

Shared decision-making for prostate cancer screening and treatment: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Systematic review
Martínez-González NA, Plate A, Senn O, Markun S, Rosemann T, Neuner-Jehle S
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14584

Men facing prostate cancer screening and treatment need to make critical and highly preference-sensitive decisions that involve a variety of potential benefits and risks. Shared decision-making is considered fundamental for “preference-sensitive” medical decisions.

Innovative transition interventions to better align healthcare needs in hospitalised medical patients

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Kutz A, Ebrahimi F, Struja T, Greenwald J, Schuetz P, Mueller B
Swiss Med Wkly. 2017;147:w14515

In Switzerland, there is an ongoing discussion about which performance data best reflect high quality of care and which intervention would best address current challenges in a complex multimorbid inpatient population.

What constitutes “competent error disclosure”? Insights from a national focus group study in Switzerland

Original article
Hannawa AF
Swiss Med Wkly. 2017;147:w14427

Although many healthcare institutions now require open disclosure of errors, the practice remains rare. Providers commonly lack the necessary knowledge and/or skills for effective disclosure.

Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?

Viewpoint
Messerli FH, Rimoldi SF, Vogt B
Swiss Med Wkly. 2016;146:w14344