Annual report SWEDEHEART 2012.

The Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART) supports continuous monitoring and improvement of care for coronary artery disease, catheter-based and surgical coronary interventions, secondary prevention as well as catheter based and surgical valve intervention, by providing extensive data on base-line, diagnostic, procedural and outcome variables. Design. This national quality registry collects information from all Swedish hospitals treating patients with acute coronary artery disease and all patients undergoing coronary angiography, catheter-based interventions or heart surgery. Combination with other national mandatory official registries enables complete follow-up of all individuals regarding myocardial infarction, new interventional procedures, death and all-cause hospitalizations. The registry is governed by an independent steering committee and funded by the Swedish National Health care provider. The software is developed by Uppsala Clinical Research Center. Results. The SWEDEHEART Quality Index reflects overall quality of care for coronary artery disease including secondary prevention. In comparison with 2011, an improvement of the index occurred in 2012 overall. There was however, still a wide range in performance between individual centers, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring of quality of care at a national as well as on a center level.