Oslo University Hospital

The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to addressing common healthcare challenges through closer cooperation between two of the Nordic region’s leading university hospitals. The partnership will initially focus on five key areas: laboratory medicine, psychiatry in transition, new models of care, leadership and productivity, and digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI). 

The transformation of healthcare requires university hospitals to work together across both national and international boundaries. Oslo University Hospital is known as a leading centre for specialised care, research and innovation, and Norway faces many of the same challenges as Sweden. The partnership therefore provides an important opportunity to strengthen efforts to improve healthcare delivery and contribute to the development of healthcare systems across Europe. 

Areas of collaboration 

Laboratory medicine 

The two hospitals will explore collaboration in laboratory services, advanced diagnostics, research, innovation and quality improvement. By combining expertise and infrastructure, the partners aim to support the continued development of high-quality diagnostic services and translational research. 

Psychiatry in transition 

Within mental healthcare, the collaboration will focus on organisational development and service transformation. Areas of interest include the relationship between psychiatric and somatic care, the distribution of responsibilities between departments, productivity and operational data, as well as the design of new hospital facilities and information and communication technology (ICT) solutions. 

New models of care 

Both Oslo University Hospital and Sahlgrenska University Hospital are of comparable size and have similar responsibilities as university hospitals. Each organisation is actively developing hospital-at-home services through programmes such as OUS Hjemme and Sahlgrenska Hemma. 

The partnership will support the exchange of experience and best practice as both hospitals continue to expand specialist care delivered in patients’ homes. The expectation is that mutual learning will help accelerate the development and implementation of these innovative care models. 

Leadership and productivity 

The partners will also collaborate on leadership development, with a focus on the capabilities required to lead university hospitals through the next decade. Particular attention will be given to managing transitions between different models of care and ensuring that resources are aligned effectively with changing healthcare needs. 

Digitalisation and artificial intelligence 

Digital transformation is another major focus of the partnership. The hospitals plan to work together on digital working environments, the development of testbeds for digital innovation, and approaches for scaling innovations from pilot projects to routine clinical practice. 

Potential areas for joint research and innovation include: 

• Applied artificial intelligence 

• Remote monitoring 

• Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and citizen-generated health data 

• Digital twins and synthetic health data