The Health and Care Inspectorate (IVO) has been commissioned by the government to strengthen supervision of maternity care during 2023-2025.
Now, 18 care providers, six of which are privately run, and their 34 operations in 12 regions have been inspected.
"We have found deficiencies at all the selected clinics we visited," says Lennart Pettersson, in a press release.
The deficiencies, for example, concern the lack of systematic self-monitoring, insufficient competence to perform pelvic floor examinations during follow-up care, and the failure to inform patients about where to turn in case of discomfort after childbirth.
As a result of the inspections, IVO has made 18 decisions regarding deficiencies and requested reports on measures taken. Care providers must report back to IVO by March 14 at the latest.
"The results of the supervision only cover a small part of the maternity care available in Sweden. This is a signal that the care form as a whole needs to be improved," says Pettersson.
