Radar Healthcare has published a new healthcare study. The Healthcare Systems Mapped report ranks the 33 most developed countries in the world based on various ranking factors to determine the best quality healthcare systems. One of these ranking factors in each country’s Human Development Index score.
The Human Development Index score is a figure that measures the average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.
The UK has a Human Development Index score of 0.932, ranking the UK in 13th place for human development out of the 33 most developed countries around the world.
Norway has been named the country with the highest Human DevelopmentIndex score of 0.957.
The top 20 countries ranked on their Human Development Index Score
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Hong Kong
- Germany
- Sweden
- Australia
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Finland
- Singapore
- UK
- New Zealand
- Belgium
- Canada
- US
- Austria
- Japan
- Israel
Healthcare systems differ worldwide, with some providing high-quality services for free and others causing people to rack up thousands in medical bills. So, does paying for healthcare mean that you are guaranteed a better service, or are free healthcare systems just as reliable?
To delve into how simple differences between how healthcare systems are implemented worldwide can have huge impacts on the quality of results and level of care, Radar Healthcare have researched to create their brand new Healthcare Mapped report.
Overall, the standout country emerged as Japan regarding exemplary healthcare services. In total, Japan achieved a very impressive score of 78.5/100.
In second place came Germany, with a very respectable score of 73.5/100. Hailed as the second-most progressive country in the world, this is not surprising. The nation’s exemplary ranking was aided by a 9/10 human development score, which refers to how many people live long and healthy lives, have a decent standard of living, and achieve a wealth of knowledge.
A fairly low score regarding average voluntary healthcare costs per person (£796 per year) meant Germany walked away with 9/10 in this category, too, proving them to be a worthy second place holder.
In third place was Australia, scoring a commendable 71.5/100 overall. The nation ranked 8/10 for their overall quality of healthcare, along with a reputable 7/10 when it came to their average salary vs cost of healthcare statistics, with 3.15% of the average £38,889.91 salary going towards healthcare per year.
Despite a large population of almost 69 million residents, the United Kingdom achieved a respectable joint 7th place in the overall report, with a score of 69.5/100 – the same as Switzerland. The UK data groups together data from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Where data was incomplete for NI, this was omitted from the index ranking.
Considering how densely populated the UK is as a nation compared with Switzerland, alongside the well-reported strains and pressures the NHS has been under during the past few years, this overall score for the UK is commendable if still highlighting the room for improvement in terms of healthcare quality.
Chloe Weatherhead, head of Customer Experience at Radar Healthcare, says: ‘Overall, there are numerous factors that have an impact on the efficiency of healthcare systems across the globe, such as financial and humanitarian crises, high population density, low salaries, and so on.’
‘The huge steps that have been made, with regards to healthcare-related technology innovation within the last few years alone, are already having a hugely positive impact on quality and safety, and improving outcomes and overall experiences for all kinds of patients.’
‘Learning and taking inspiration from impressive international healthcare systems, such as those found in Japan, could be wise for those wary of embracing ever-evolving technological advancements. Ultimately, the best way to tackle the ongoing challenges healthcare systems around the globe continue to face is to drive improvements by learning from one another.’
‘When it comes to the UK in particular, it’s reasonable to note that it could be beneficial to focus on upgrading to more advanced technological processes that help to create a learning culture by empowering healthcare staff with information to support quicker decision-making and more open methods of communication.’
‘It’s also worth noting how access to national health-related data can significantly impact learning. For example, the new LFPSE (Learn from patient safety events) service – which is currently in the final stages of development – will act to give healthcare workers a more holistic and wider view of national data to see what’s working well and what’s not up and down the UK.’
