OECD international “PaRIS survey of Patients with Chronic Conditions”: national direction of the survey in Switzerland

PaRIS (Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys) is an initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to develop and implement patient-reported outcome measures ( PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) in primary care. It provides a unique set of indicators that unveil how people of 45 years and older who live with chronic conditions experience primary care and how this impacts their lives. It also aims to enable international monitoring and comparison of outcomes and experiences of care, and to provide essential information on what is important to patients in their care.

Unisanté was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Quality Commission (CFQ) in 2023 to lead phase 3 of the international “PaRIS survey of Patients with Chronic Conditions” in Switzerland. 

Methods

To gather patients' views, the questionnaire, developed by the OECD to ensure harmonized data collection in all participating countries, was translated into the three national languages. It includes questions on experiences of care and treatment provided by general practitioners (GPs), as well as on health status and quality of life.

The PaRIS survey also includes a questionnaire to be filled out by primary care practices, with questions on how the practice operates and how it manages and supports patients with chronic illnesses.

The goal was to recruit 100 primary care practices, selected at random from the national register of medical professions (MedReg). Then, they consecutively invited patients aged 45 or over, with or without chronic illness, living at home, to complete the patient questionnaire over a two-month period (target: 75 participating patients per primary care practice).

The survey was carried out in compliance with Swiss legislation. All internationally recognized research and data protection guidelines were followed. The competent cantonal ethics commission examined and authorized the survey.

Results

The OECD published the flagship report in February 2025 based on all the data collected in PaRIS from over 1'800 primary care providers and over 107'000 patients from the 19 participating countries. The report offers in-depth analyses, including variations between countries and population groups within them.

In Switzerland, 119 primary care practices invited their patients to take part in the survey in January 2024. Of the 21,800 patients invited in total, 4,178 completed the questionnaire. The report with the results was published on the CFQ website in April 2025.