SKDE updates Health Atlas analyses annually.
Since the first Health Atlas was published nearly 10 years ago, SKDE has received many inquiries about updating the figures. Therefore, SKDE is now launching a new service that will annually update selected analyses from the 16 Health Atlases.
The first figures to be updated relate to the use of operations on the tonsils (tonsillectomy) and injection treatment in the eye. The figures show that there is significant geographical variation for both of these treatments.
—With this new service from SKDE, it will be easier to monitor developments and assess whether measures to reduce geographical variation are effective, says section leader Hanne Sigrun Byhring at SKDE.
The figures indicate that an increasing number of patients are receiving injection treatment in the eye, and that there are substantial geographical differences in usage.
—The number has steadily increased year on year since 2015, which is the first year for which we have data, says Byhring.
Researchers from the University of Oslo (UiO) explain the increase by stating that this is treatment for chronic conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and that the number of new patients each year exceeds the number of patients who complete treatment. The figures from SKDE confirm that the increase has continued at the same pace in 2022 and 2023 as in the period from 2011 to 2021, which was the period the researchers examined in their article.
Injection treatment in the eye is a treatment that is currently almost exclusively provided in public hospitals, and it is resource-intensive because patients often require relatively frequent treatment.
—This increase in the number of patients must be planned for by hospitals if they are to avoid significant challenges in meeting the demand, explains Byhring.
—This is vision-preserving treatment that has a significant impact on quality of life, and is therefore very important for the individual, she continues.
In their article, the researchers at UiO conclude that there is a need for more governance and national guidelines to ensure equitable treatment in the years to come.
—Through the initiative on updated Health Atlases, we provide professional environments and leaders with a new tool to monitor developments going forward, and we hope this will be useful in the work to reduce geographical variation and ensure equitable treatment, concludes Byhring.