Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Erik Grönqvist, Uppsala University,
- Second opponent: Associate professor Astrid Louise Hanssen Wang, University of Bergen,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Hilde Stendal Robinson, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor emeritus Morten Lindbæk, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Emeritus Tor Iversen, University of Oslo
Summary
This dissertation examines three health initiatives in Norway—the Noklus diabetes form, the Extended Free Choice reform, and the Primary Healthcare Teams pilot program—using health registry data and the quasi-experimental methods of difference-in-differences and matching. These methods leverage the richness and longitudinal structure of the data to allow for reliable comparisons between participants and non-participants, helping assess the effects of the interventions.
The Noklus diabetes form, a digital checklist designed to support annual diabetes check-ups, led to a slight increase in the number of patients receiving recommended tests in general practice. However, use of the checklist among general practitioners who installed it was often inconsistent, which may have limited its overall impact.
The Extended Free Choice reform, which allowed patients to choose between public and private providers for certain treatments, had little effect on waiting times or service volumes at public hospitals. This could suggest that competition from private providers did not strongly influence public hospital performance.
The Primary Healthcare Teams pilot program, which tested team-based general practices with nurses in key roles, showed promising results. Practices receiving state funding for services provided by nurses delivered more recommended care to patients identified as target groups.
These findings offer insights that may inform efforts to strengthen the healthcare system and shape future reforms. The dissertation also highlights the value of health registry data, analysed with appropriate methods, in supporting evidence-based policymaking.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.