Table 1 Characteristics of Swedish primary health care
From: Setting priorities in primary health care - on whose conditions? A questionnaire study
Financing and ownership | Most of the primary health care centres are publicly owned and publicly financed through taxes. |
GPs and consultation | Five years of specialist training is required. About 20% of all specialists are GPs. Three consultations with a specialist per inhabitant and year is average; half of these are with a GP. Consultations with GPs are, on average, 20 minutes. |
Work organisation | Teamwork dominates. GPs work in close collaboration with district nurses and other health care personnel. Most appointments with the PHCC are preceded by a telephone call to a nurse who decides whether to schedule the patient to see a GP, a nurse, or whether advice by telephone will be sufficient. |