ALF and USV evaluations 2022
Two national evaluations of clinical research, education and development of healthcare were conducted during 2022 in accordance with the ALF agreements.
Both the Swedish Research Council's evaluation of the quality of clinical research and the National Board of Health and Welfare's evaluation of university healthcare are based on the ALF agreements. The evaluations were conducted in 2022.
Why are these evaluations important?
The ALF and USV evaluations are of great importance for everyone in the Stockholm region who works with clinical research and/or education. The outcome of these evaluations will affect the scope of ALF funding for clinical research in the next period, and are thus of great significance. High marks in these ALF evaluations are also important in consolidating Stockholm's position as a leading region in Life Science, and for realising the ambition to become one of the world's five leading life science regions by 2025.
Read more about each evaluation
Photo: GettyImages.ALF evaluation
Photo: GettyImages.USV evaluation
Impact
Implementing research results to really make impact beyond academia is usually a long-term process which requires close collaboration, persistence and multiple skills throughout the process.
Three strong impact cases are described below and in the ALF 2 Self-evaluation.
Read also: Creating impact together
Impact case stories
The DETO2X-AMI trial proved that contrary to previously established treatment regimens for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), oxygen treatment is in fact without effect on patient mortality.
- Results published in N Engl J Med 2017
Impact:
- Significant clinical impact on both staff and patients
- Changed national treatment guidelines
- At the societal level, more restrictive use of oxygen leads to significant disinvestment for the healthcare system
Success factors:
- Key experienced individuals with access to national network
- Close collaboration KI and Region Stockholm
- Access to infrastructure and communication support
The FINGER study showed that it is possible to prevent cognitive decline using multidomain lifestyle-based interventions among at-risk elderly persons from general population. FINGER has caused a paradigm shift in that cognitive decline is no longer an inevitable consequence of aging, but instead a disorder that can be prevented using multidomain interventions.
- Results published in Lancet 2015
Impact:
- Improved cognitive ability and quality of life for patients with cognitive impairment
- Changed guidelines - WHO and locally
Success factors:
- World-leading researchers and access to infrastructure
- A well-functioning operating model and process
- Close cooperation with patient organisations
A new triage system to reduce time to EVT was designed and tested. The triage involves the ambulance nurse testing of the patient's symptoms, followed by a phone call to a stroke doctor for a decision on the destination.
- Results showed significant increases in excellent, disability-free outcomes with the new system, as well as more patients attaining independence in daily activities
- Results published in JAMA 2020
Impact:
- Implementation began in 2017 within the region
- In 2020, the new system was given permanent routine healthcare status
- Improved health outcomes for patients and savings in healthcare with likely positive health economic calculation
Success factors:
- Clinically active researchers aware of shortcomings and opportunities
- Researchers organisationally linked to significant bodies
- Close cooperation across professional boundaries
Steering group
A steering group representing the Karolinska Institutet-Region Stockholm management team shares responsibility for the documentation submitted for the ALF and USV evaluations.
The steering group consists of:
- Anders Gustafsson, Vice President KI
- Clara Hellner, Director Research & Innovation Region Stockholm
- Annika Tibell, Director Research, Development, Education & Innovation Karolinska University Hospital
- Annika Östman Wernerson, Academic Vice President of Higher Education, KI
- Kerstin Lundin, Project Leader, KI
- Viktoria Svensson, Coordinator, KI
- Maria Schönnings, Coordinator, KI
- Viktoria Björk, Manager, Research, Development, Education & Innovation, Karolinska University Hospital
- Carl Sundström, Coordinator, KI
A specific working group supports the USV units in the evaluation of university healthcare and reports to the steering group.
Contact
Mailbox for questions and comments: utvardering-alfusv@ki.se