International Health Policy Survey (IHP) of the Commonwealth Fund Foundation

Each year, Switzerland takes part in the IHP survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund Foundation (CWF) together with ten other countries. In this way, Switzerland is able to obtain internationally comparable data on health policy topics which can be used in shaping our health system.

International Health Policy Survey (IHP) of the Commonwealth Fund Foundation

The American CWF Foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve still further on high-performance health systems.
The CWF has been carrying out health-policy surveys that provide international comparisons since 1998. The surveys are conducted on an annual basis. The topics covered by the surveys are repeated every three years.

Switzerland has been taking part in the IHP surveys since 2010. Apart from Switzerland, the other countries participating in the IHP surveys conducted by the CWF are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Object of the IHP surveys

In the IHP surveys, the residential population and also doctors providing primary care are able to give their opinion on their country's health system. They assess the provision of healthcare on the basis of their own experience.

Publication and use of the results

The Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) compiles and publishes a research report each year for the FOPH. The FOPH makes the data sets available for further analysis.

The FOPH and its partners use the results of the IHP surveys to further develop health policy measures. At international level, the health ministers of the participating countries meet up once a year to discuss specific results of the survey.

Research reports on the International Health Policy Survey (IHP) by the Commonwealth Fund