Interprofessional education and practice in Sweden / Interprofessionelle Bildung und Praxis in Schweden

Abstract There are some significant differences between the health systems in German speaking Europe and Sweden: In Sweden, the number of hospitals is small, caregiving services in the hospital and ambulatory sector are integrated, health professionals with university degrees are granted extended competencies and rights incl. first line consultation and limited prescription. Education is designed to prepare for these functions and responsibilities. It started more than 30 years ago when Linköping implemented the OECD-model of Health Universities. Interprofessional teaching, common learning of the various tracks and training on real patients are constitutive elements of this novel approach. Karolinska University in Stockholm adopted the model in 1998 and gave way to a nationwide reform. A recommendation of the German Science Council regarding training of health professionals, published 2012, drew the attention of educators to this approach. The paper explains the circumstances of the consolidation of this concept. It is important to realize that overarching governance principles and measures deriving from health and education policy are of crucial importance. They evolve from evaluations of needs carried out by the regional health agencies which lead to conditional mandates and financial incentives to the education sector. Moreover, decisions taken by the national board for accreditation and quality assurance take also in account the goals set and the outcomes in education and caregiving. Outside Sweden they would be considered an inappropriate limitation of academic freedom.The paper ends with a reflection of impressions collected during a study trip and shows some lessons to be learnt from the Swedish education and practice.