BipoläR – the Swedish National Quality Register for Bipolar Disorder

The aim of the quality register BipoläR is to provide relevant outcome measures for monitoring the quality of care and outcomes for bipolar disorder patients in Sweden. The ultimate goal is high and equal quality of care in terms of early diagnosis, adequate follow-up, and best treatment of bipolar disorder in order to achieve better outcomes and improve the lives of persons with bipolar disorder.

We issue recommendations for bench-marking. We publish yearly reports and contribute data to open comparisons between clinics issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Our web-based user interface provides instant online access to quality parameters. A secondary aim with BipoläR is to facilitate research.

New treatment methods and programs are continuously introduced that need to be evaluated in a real world setting. BipoläR have revealed significant regional differences in treatments regimens that suggests that patients do not receive equal treatment.

BipoläR was launched in 2004. The majority of active health care providers, treating persons with bipolar disorder, are connected to the register.

Read a description of the quality register BipoläR in BMJ Open.
Cohort profile: the Swedish National Quality Register for bipolar disorder(BipoläR)

Variables

Along with basic demographic variables, the following variables are recorded:

• Number of depressive, manic or hypomanic episodes
• Mood episodes during the last year
• Treatment with mood stabilizers
• Treatment with antidepressants
• Psychological and psychoeducation treatment

Requirements for registering a person in BipoläR

The patient must have a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder and the unit have to have the intention to treat the patient. ICD-10 diagnosis codes: F25.0, F30.1-F30.2, F30.8-F31.9, F34.0

Areas of use

Compilations and reports regarding the treatment unit's own data can be accessed directly online by the unit itself. It is also possible to get the unit’s results compared to the results for the whole nation. Data can also be used for various types of research.