Sweden

Welcome to Worldwide Physical Therapy Practice: a focus on Primary Care Physical Therapy

This is a project created by and for the students in the School of Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine in St. Augustine Florida. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!!

Original Editor - Mardone Tan.

Lead Editors - Your name will be added here if you are a lead editor on this page.  Read more.

Patient Access to Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy Services / Entry Point

• In Sweden, physiotherapists are experts on movement and have an independent responsibility to prevent, investigate and treat disabilities and to evaluate the effects of treatment. They also develop methodology and quality assurance. Physiotherapists take a holistic view of patients’ health, personal situations, personalities and individual circumstances in order to recommend the right preventive or rehabilitative measures. ¹
• Patients can access physiotherapy in various areas such as hospitals, primary care centers, home based health care and company health care. They can also access physiotherapy through private clinics. Physiotherapists often work in close contact with people, from children to the elderly, in everything from acute care to preventive health. The work is conducted in close contact with other health care professions. They can also choose to work on health prevention, developmental work, education or research. ²
• Patients normally see physicians by appointment, although if patients need urgent attention, it is possible for them to see a physician without an appointment at some health centers during certain hours of the day. General practitioners provide treatment, advice and prevention. Others directly employed at this level include physiotherapist. ³

Therapist Preparation

      Degree/Credentialing

• There are about 7 physiotherapy schools in Sweden, graduating about 550 students per year. ⁴
• To become a physiotherapist in Sweden, a university education is needed, Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy (Bsc), based on upper secondary school education. It lasts 3 years and is based on upper secondary school education. When graduating the physiotherapist obtains a University Diploma in Physiotherapy. The diploma entitles the graduate to the registration issued by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Physiotherapists can enroll educational programs which lead to a postgraduate degree: ⁵
  - Master of Science in Physiotherapy (MSc)
  - Doctor of Medical Science (PhD)
• The Professional Title of Registered Physical Therapist is protected by the state, but the professional activity is not. The rules of professional conduct are determined directly by the state through national legislation. The physical therapist must be state registered and obtain a license to practice. The national authority responsible for the physiotherapy profession in Sweden is "The National Board of Health and Welfare". ⁴

      Specialization

• After the three-year program, which leads to both a Bachelors degree and a professional physiotherapist qualification, you can continue your training in one of the physiotherapy specialist areas as specified by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). Physiotherapists can specialize in these areas:²
• patients with pain, injuries and/or diseases in the musculoskeletal system,
• patients with diseases in or damage to the respiratory organs or circulatory systems,
• patients with diseases in or damage to the nervous system,
• patients with mental ill-health or psychosomatic problems,
• children and young people with disabilities or disease,
• older persons with physical or mental disabilities

Professional Associations

• Sweden has a population of 9 million and there are about 13,000 Physiotherapist, 10,000 of them belong to the Swedish association of registered physical therapist (Legitimerade Sjukgymnasters Riksförbund – LSR) which is the union and professional association for Swedish physiotherapists. Its mission is to make physiotherapists a more visible and valued professional group in society. ^1,4 The association holds 6 executive meetings per year and furthers liaisons with other health care professions and authorities. ⁴ To be accepted as a member you must be a qualified physiotherapist and be licensed by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Those studying on courses that lead to a qualification as a physiotherapist can become student members.¹
• Physiotherapist can also join the European Region-World Confederation for Physical Therapist, which was established in September 1998, through the merger of the Standing Liaison Committee of Physiotherapists of the EU (SLCP), and the WCPT Europe (the Regional organization of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy). ⁶ It is the single representative organization and the voice of the physiotherapy profession in Europe. There are 33 national organizations members of the ER-WCPT that all together work on education, professional issues and EU Matters. ⁷

Information about the Patient Community

• Sweden has a population is 8.9 million (1999) and Stockholm, the capital, is the largest city, with 1.1 million habitants. Swedes are the predominant ethnic group (about 90% of the population). Other residents include immigrants from Finland, South America, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans. Sweden has two minority groups of native inhabitants in the north: the Finnish-speaking people of the northeast and the Sami (Lapp) population. The educational system reaches the entire population and the literacy rate is 99%. Female participation in the workforce is also high, constituting 48% of the labor force in 1998. ³
• Sweden has a low birth rate, 1.5 per woman in reproductive age and has among the longest life expectancy at birth: 77.5 for men and 81.1 for women (2000). Today Sweden has the world’s oldest population, with almost every fifth person aged 65 years or older. This ageing process has important social and political implications, as fewer persons of productive age will support increasing demands on the health care system. ³
• Furthermore, mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has declined, although CVD accounted for approximately 50% of all deaths in 1998. The second largest cause of death was tumors, which amounted to 25% for men and 22% for women (1998). Deaths due to mental diseases and diseases in the nervous system, eyes and ears increased between 1987 and 1997. ³

Social/Cultural Influences

• What is the influence of the family on a patient's health status?
• What are the typical patient's living conditions, family dynamics, and cultural back ground?

Delivery of Care

• Is delivery of care provided in a timely manner?
• Special methods? Home health etc
  

Type of Health System

• Is it a national health system with universal access?
  

Payment System

• What methods to patient use to pay for service? (Insurance, bartering etc.)