Maximum Waiting-time Guarantee - a remedy to long waiting lists? : Assessment of the Swedish Waiting-time Guarantee Policy 1992-1996

Lengthy waiting times have been a problem in Swedish health services for many years. In 1992, Sweden implemented a national maximum waiting-time guarantee (MWG) through an agreement between the Swedish Government and the Federation of Swedish County Councils. The “guarantee” assured patients that the waiting time between the decision-to-treat and the treatment itself would not exceed three months. The national MWG covered twelve different treatments/interventions and remained in force for five years. This dissertation describes the genesis of the MWG, its implementation, and its effects. Four papers serve as a foundation for the dissertation. Paper I describes how the guarantee was implemented during the first two years. Paper II studies the impact that the MWG had on cataract surgery. Paper III uses the results of two questionnaire surveys of department heads to explain why the MWG, although successfully launched, became increasingly difficult to maintain. Paper IV analyses data from the national cataract register to determine how production and waiting times in cataract surgery were affected by termination of the MWG. This dissertation confirms that waiting time for health care is a complex phenomenon resulting from multiple causes. “Guarantees” are of particular interest because they define what constitutes too long in reference to waiting times. Beyond that, they are only a framework for developing a plan of action. The positive effects of the MWG were transient and based on rationalisation, introduction of new technology, and stricter prioritisation. The MWG contributed towards empowering patients and slowing the expansion of treatment indications, but it was unsuccessful in levelling out the wide regional variations in surgical rates