Jameson Garland

Project summary

Science and proven experience – striving for patient safety and scientific rigour in clinical practice

For more than half a century, the legal requirement that medical practice be based on science and proven experience has served as a threshold for ensuring that Swedish healthcare is effective and safe for patients. This requirement has contributed to Swedish medical law being regarded as among the most advanced and scientifically grounded in the world. However, a number of scandals with tragic outcomes have highlighted problems in the understanding and application of these legal standards. My doctoral thesis demonstrates that these tragedies could have been avoided if the rules had been correctly interpreted and applied.

 

My project aims to further develop the concept of science and proven experience so that, in the future, it can serve more effectively as a safeguard for patient safety and clinical effectiveness. This requires clarification in two areas: (1) developing the meaning of the concept and establishing how it should be interpreted and applied in its legal context, and (2) developing clear guidelines for how the legal requirements should be met in clinical practice.

 

Only once these requirements have been clearly defined can patient safety be adequately safeguarded, thereby helping to maintain the strong reputation of Swedish medicine. If appropriately developed, the requirement of science and proven experience also has the potential to serve as a future global standard for patient safety and evidence-based clinical practice.