Finland COPD Index
Rank
(out of 24 countries)
3
Index Score
(out of 100)
70.71
Deaths
(as a % of overall deaths)
2.63%
Smoking Rate
21.6%
Societal Costs
(cost per person)
$557
Above average performance
Average performance
Below average performance
Finland has the third highest score in the Environmental Factors category, boasting the highest indoor air quality and the lowest level of environmental exposure to COPD risk factors.
Finland is among the top scorers in the COPD Index. Finland has the third highest score in the Environmental Factors category, boasting the highest indoor air quality and the lowest level of environmental exposure to COPD risk factors. Finland also reports a high score in the Policy Context category, with very strong guidelines for COPD care and high adherence to them, as well as strong tobacco control policies. However, an increased implementation of COPD strategies would improve its score. In the Health System Characteristics category, Finland scores above average primarily due to excellent health data reporting, a relatively high number of primary care doctors, and a slightly lower density of respiratory specialists. Finland’s score in the Access and Care Coverage category is relatively high, with strong conditions for diagnosis, high universal health care coverage, telemedicine care, and good treatment and drug access. Finland’s score in the Disease Burden category is just above average, with relatively high sex-based inequality and maternal smoking rates.
COPD Index Key Takeaways
Data from the COPD Index revealed the following takeaways regarding COPD care in Finland.
Strong Policy Context, with improvements needed in COPD national strategy and tobacco policy implementation based on smoking rate data
High Access and Care Coverage with a need for stronger care referral pathways
Relatively few respiratory specialists
Best Practices for COPD Care
Data from the COPD Index revealed the following best practices regarding COPD care in Finland.
Smoking cessation practices (e.g., Smoking is banned inside public spaces)
Good use of spirometry for diagnosis
Strong national guidelines for primary care (highly known and implemented), new COPD program
Challenges for COPD Care
Data from the COPD Index revealed the following challenges regarding COPD care in Finland.
Lack of respiratory specialists
Late diagnosis due to low patient awareness and insufficient preventive measures
Opportunities for COPD Care
Data from the COPD Index revealed the following opportunities regarding COPD care in Finland.
Improve collaboration on comorbidities (e.g., between cardiologists and respiratory specialists)
Priorities for COPD Care
Data from the COPD Index revealed the following priorities regarding COPD care in Finland.
Increase availability of health care professionals (specifically respiratory specialists) in public health care
Increase allocation of resources and shifting health system focus to the respiratory area
Compare Finland to other countries
Select different countries to see how they scored across each of the 5 categories and overall
Key Contributor Insights
“[Best practices are that] ... We have a national guideline specifically aimed for primary care, it is available to all primary care physicians and is part of large common national guideline system known to every Finnish doctor.”
“[The challenge is that] … We got a new health care system, the welfare areas, and at least the beginning seems that everything is just closed down and stopped because lack of money.”
Sources
You can view the data sources for this country HERE