Reform of the medical curriculum in Sweden: Towards a more active and multidisciplinary learning of people-centred care (2018)
WHO/Europe: A good practice brief on the reform of the medical curriculum in Sweden has been released in conjunction with the high-level regional meeting Health Systems Respond to Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), taking place on 16–18 April 2018 in Sitges, Spain. Author: Stefan Lindgren, president of the Swedish Society of Medicine.
Medical schools in Sweden are revising their medical curricula to involve students in more active and multidisciplinary learning and to better integrate basic science and clinical experiences. This is in response to changing needs in patients, rising incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, the proliferation of new knowledge and technologies, changing practice environments and new understandings of pedagogy. These reforms are a joint effort by the government and universities, health care providers, patient organizations and professional organizations.
It has been recognized that new and main competencies are required. The reform identified the need for pro-active chronic disease management, increased emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion, critical thinking, continuous quality improvement, generalist competencies, communication skills and multidisciplinary teamwork. This means that practice-based learning is gradually moving from hospital settings to primary care.