The doctor's personal knowledge of patients saved resources and reduced mortality in an American study. How should a care system in Sweden be designed to get similar effects?

In a recent study of more than 500 000 hospitalisations, doctors with personal knowledge of their patients used less resources, more often discharged them to their own home and their patients had lower mortality. Furthermore, other studies have shown that personal continuity increases patient satisfaction as well as compliance and reduces costs for medical services and visits to emergency services. In a Swedish context we discuss how a combination of organizational factors and personal listing on physicians and continuity of care favour personal knowledge between physician and patient and contribute to a primary care that works well for both the frail elderly and the healthy young.