We have every reason to be proud of ourselves. Clinical research in Gothenburg is vibrant and we should not be hiding our light under a bushel. Barbro Fridén is the Administrative Director of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and Guest Columnist in Akademiliv.
Clinical research in Gothenburg is highly fortunate. The region offers a cohesive healthcare infrastructure that facilitates monitoring of patients each step along the way. Västra Götaland Region keeps half of all Swedish quality registers, which can often be linked to universities, manufacturers, biobanks and other organizations. Based on respect for each other’s strengths and individual qualities, our collaboration with academia is also highly successful. We are of one mind when it comes to the goal of ensuring that clinical practice incorporate the findings of research, even if hospitals tend to view such imperatives from a shorter time perspective.
Another key to the kind of clinical research that makes a difference is person-based care. The idea is to promote more efficient services that are judged not by financial expenditures or abstract graphs, but by patient reported outcome measures. A major initiative is under way to involve patients in healthcare advances. A number of multidisciplinary teams that include patients have been engaged in a systematic value management effort over the past couple of years. The teams regularly review outcomes, benchmark them against other hospitals, look for the best available evidence and integrate the information into improvement projects. As an example, the patient representative thought that we should survey how many 30-year-olds with bipolar disorder can be self-supporting and subsequently use the outcome measure as a medical endpoint. We were a little slow on the uptake but soon realized that it would be a brilliant approach to quantifying our success with these particular patients and that it pointed the way to brand new working methods, as well as means of facilitating even greater cohesiveness throughout the healthcare system. Steady improvement of outcomes also demands that the teams identify new evidence, and we are looking forward to a whole slew of fresh hypotheses that can be tested. A concrete manifestation of well-advised ideas is the clinical trial center that will be opening at the children’s hospital this fall. The center will gather basic and translational research, along with drug trials, under the same professional, future-oriented umbrella.
Employees active in research are among the most faithful and hardworking members of our staff. They are responsible for much of the superior care that we offer and demonstrate their loyalty year in and year out. Personnel statistics tell the story. I still remember my years as a PhD student, tearing my hair out day and night over my thesis and wondering where it all was heading. The excitement of conducting original research made everything worthwhile, but now I can see that it also turned me into a better doctor. I immersed myself in scientific methodology and learned to understand published research articles. If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that research is the future. I have appointed Lars Grip as Assistant Director in charge of Research, Development, Education and Innovation. His appointment is an emphatic reminder that both research and education are key to maintaining and improving the hospital’s performance.
Gothenburg startled me with its modesty when I first arrived from Stockholm. It is hard to run into a researcher in the hallways of Karolinska without somehow getting the impression that they are a Nobel Laureate or expect to become one any day now. The fact that we have obtained at least seven national healthcare assignments testifies to the impressive research and care that we provide. And that is a light that should not be hidden under any bushel.
Barbro Fridén
