Tackling unwarranted variation is essential to improving outcomes derived from healthcare across Scotland.
Tackling unwarranted variation is essential to improving outcomes derived from healthcare across Scotland. Unwarranted variation is variation in healthcare that cannot be explained by need, or by explicit patient or population preferences. We need to ensure the prevention of harm and waste from overuse and overtreatment, freeing up resources currently used without benefit to clinical outcomes in order to address under-provision of care.
There are a number of initiatives underway that aim to tackle unwarranted variation. For example:
An Atlas of Healthcare Variation shows variation in the health of the population and healthcare, and outcomes received by people in different geographical regions. We need to ensure the prevention of harm and waste from overuse and overtreatment, freeing up resources currently used without benefit to clinical outcomes in order to address the under-provision of care. We published the beginnings of an Atlas in September, and it will evolve month on month as we add more maps. We will engage with clinicians and patients to identify which areas to add to the Atlas to help ensure that it reflects the needs of the population, is relevant to clinicians and evolves with innovation.