Regional governance

Regions govern, among other things, hospitals and primary healthcare centres, including procurement of drugs and food for hospitals.

Sweden is divided into 21 regions that provide healthcare services. These regions are responsible for overall planning, resource allocation and consolidating specialised care within the region, as well as collaborations across regions. There are approximately 70 hospitals and seven university hospitals in Sweden. Primary care is provided through approximately 1,200 primary care centres.

Antibiotic Smart Sweden has developed and pilot-tested piloted criteria for the following areas: at a regional governance level, for hospitals and for primary care centres. Regional leadership has a key role in ensuring a mandate to work with antibiotic resistance at different levels in the region and ensure the question is prioritised at a political level. Regional leadership can also provide opportunities and support commitment to work with antibiotic resistance in hospitals and primary care centres, as well as towards the public. In total, there are six criteria.

Examples of criteria for regions (criteria under development):

Decision making

The region has reached an agreement to work actively to become an antibiotic-smart region.

Coordination and organisation

The region has appointed a Strama group with broad professional representation and a defined mission to support operational activities in the region including to become antibiotic-smart, as well as coordinate and collaborate with relevant actors.

The Swedish Strategic Programme against Antibiotic Resistance (strama.se)

Awareness and Communication

The region, in collaboration with relevant actors, regularly carries out awareness campaigns. The efforts should increase understanding and promote behaviours that enable responsible antibiotic use and reduce the spread of infection.