Prevention in the Swiss healthcare system

To sustainably strengthen the Swiss healthcare system, the focus has to be shifted from acute medicine to preventive measures. With regard to the shortage of doctors, it is crucial to make use of the strengths of integrated care. This includes raising patients’ health awareness and supporting close collaboration between different healthcare providers from the public and private sectors. In this way, the long-term health of the population can be strengthened and the efficiency of healthcare provision improved through lasting, sustainable process optimization.

Interpharma member companies actively support the further development of the healthcare system:

1. Kidneys suffer silently: Around 10% of the population suffers from chronic kidney disease (CKD)¹, but 90% of those affected know nothing about it². To raise awareness of CKD and promote early detection, professional associations, experts and patient organizations launched the “Kidneys suffer silently” campaign in 2023. AstraZeneca, among others, supports this initiative. A pilot project was launched in the canton of Zug, in which pharmacies offered a simple test for the early detection of CKD and specifically advised those at risk about their kidney health. This allowed pharmacies to actively contribute to public healthcare, enable early diagnoses, slow the progression of the disease and prevent costly treatments such as dialysis³.
2. SCOPE-COPD awareness: AstraZeneca’s SCOPE-COPD pilot project, developed with the Professional Association of Swiss Pharmacies (Ofac) and supported by the Swiss Lung Association and leading Swiss pulmonologists, aims to improve the early detection of COPD exacerbations. By involving pharmacies and through the use of an exacerbation questionnaire⁴, possible flare-ups can be identified in pharmacies and patients can be referred to their GPs for further investigation. During the pilot project, 31% of respondents were identified as COPD patients, of whom almost 50% were referred to the general practitioner. This promotes close monitoring and helps to avoid follow-up costs thanks to early treatment. The project also improved quality of care and supports interprofessional exchange.
3. Take CARE: The Take CARE program can more efficiently indicate whether therapy is being performed according to current guidelines. A multi-stakeholder partnership introduced a score model that monitors the quality of care for patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease and enables targeted measures. Health insurers can use managed care contracts to provide incentives to further close the gap between evidence and daily practice, ultimately improving the overall quality of care for cardiovascular patients.

References:

1. Forni Ogna V et al. Prevalence and determinants of chronic kidney disease in the Swiss population. Swiss Med Wkly. May 6, 2016;146:w14313. 
2. https://www.kidney.org/about/kidney-disease-fact-sheet, last accessed 03/28/2025
3. https://www.my-health.ch/zuger-nierenwoche-erfolgreiche-testkampagne-im-kanton-zug/, last accessed 03/28/2025
4. Hering T, Andres J. Das Patienten-Questionnaire “Monitoring of Exacerbation Probability (MEP)”. Pulmonology (Stuttgart, Germany) 2016; 70: 98-102. doi:10.1055/s-0041-110312

To Blog Part 1: Prevention as part of a sustainable Swiss healthcare system

To Blog Part 2: Targeted prevention and early detection are the key to long-term success

To Blog Part 3: Holistic strategy and coordination

To Blog Part 4: Use of data as a key to more targeted prevention

To Blog Part 5: Access to innovation in prevention and early detection