Does Healthcare Deliver? Results from the Patient‑Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS): Slovenia
Table of contents
The OECD Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) is a groundbreaking initiative that fills a critical gap in health data by measuring the health outcomes and care experiences of people. This is an essential piece of information still lacking: the views of those directly concerned by health services – the patients – about their experience with the healthcare system and the outcomes as reported by them. By capturing the perspectives of over 107 000 people across 1 800 primary care practices in 19 countries, PaRIS provides an internationally comparable assessment of how outcomes and experiences of primary care users 45 years and older vary across countries and how healthcare systems deliver the care people with chronic conditions need.
As the global population of people living with chronic conditions continues to grow, the need for healthcare systems to adapt to their needs has never been more urgent. PaRIS plays a crucial role in informing this shift by offering data that supports the reorganisation of healthcare around the care experiences and health outcomes that matter most to people. Unlike disease‑specific assessments, PaRIS takes a broader approach, measuring how healthcare impacts people’s lives across various dimensions. This comprehensive perspective has the potential to revolutionise the way we assess the performance of healthcare systems on a global scale.
PaRIS findings emphasise the need for more people‑centred and co‑ordinated care, especially for the 80% of primary care users aged 45 years and older that live with at least one chronic condition and the 50% that live with multiple (two or more) chronic conditions. Targeted policies are essential to address inequalities, enhance care co‑ordination, and build trust in healthcare systems. Encouraging patient involvement in care decisions and fostering strong relationships with healthcare professionals can lead to better health outcomes, greater trust in the system, and increased confidence in managing their own health. At the same time, a well-staffed healthcare workforce and primary care practices organised around people’s needs are key to achieving improved patient outcomes and experiences.
This country note leverages the main findings of the publication, Does Healthcare Deliver: Results from the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS), to provide a focused assessment of Slovenia. Drawing on the analysis of the ten key patient-reported outcome and experience measures used in the survey (Table 1), it explores findings in the Slovenian context and compares them to the OECD PaRIS average. The OECD PaRIS average is the simple average of the 17 OECD member countries participating in PaRIS.
Nearly three‑quarters (74%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good physical health, as measured by physical function, pain, and fatigue. This is above the OECD PaRIS average of 70% and one of the highest in PaRIS.
More than four out of five (85%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good mental health, which refers to quality of life, emotional distress, and social health. This is slightly above the OECD PaRIS average of 83%.
Slightly more than half (57%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good care co‑ordination, which is just below the OECD PaRIS average of 59% and 24 percentage points below the highest-performing country (81%).
Nearly nine out of ten (89%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report experiencing good quality of care, which is slightly above the OECD PaRIS average of 87% and 8 percentage points lower than the highest-performing country (97%).
In Slovenia, most people (96%) with two or more chronic conditions are managed in primary care practices where non-physician staff is involved in chronic disease management; this is 13 percentage points above the OECD PaRIS average.
More than a quarter of the people (26%) with two or more chronic conditions in Slovenia are managed in primary care practices that offer follow-up and regular consultations of more than 15 minutes; this is below the OECD PaRIS average of 47%.
One in five (20%) patients are managed in primary care practices that report being well-prepared to co‑ordinate care, which is significantly below the OECD PaRIS average of 56%.
A mere 5% of patients are managed in practices that can exchange medical records electronically, which is far below the OECD PaRIS average of 57%.
In Slovenia people with chronic conditions have experiences of healthcare and health outcomes comparable to the OECD PaRIS average, and people with chronic conditions in Slovenia more often report good social functioning than the OECD PaRIS average (Chapter 2). This assessment is based on the 10 key patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) – physical health, mental health, social functioning, well-being and general health and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) – confidence to self-manage, experienced co‑ordination of care, experienced person-centred care, experienced quality of care and trust in healthcare system (Figure 1).
In Slovenia, the likelihood of achieving good social functioning is above most countries in PaRIS, while the likelihood of achieving other good health outcomes for people with chronic conditions is comparable to the OECD PaRIS average (Figure 1).
Nearly three‑quarters (74%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good physical health, as measured by physical function, pain, and fatigue. This is above the OECD PaRIS average of 70% and one of the highest in PaRIS, with only an 8 percentage point difference to the highest-performing country (82%).
More than four out of five (85%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good mental health, which refers to quality of life, emotional distress, and social health. This is slightly above the OECD PaRIS average of 83% and 8 percentage points below the highest-performing country (93%).
Nearly nine out of ten (88%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good social functioning, which measures how well people carry out their usual social activities and roles. This is above the OECD PaRIS average of 83% and only 5 percentage points below the highest-performing country.
Nearly three‑quarters (72%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report positive well-being, which reflects mood, vitality, and fulfilment. This is just above the OECD PaRIS average of 71% and 8 percentage points below the highest-performing country.
Nearly two‑thirds (62%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good general health, which is slightly below the OECD PaRIS average of 66% and 31 percentage points below the highest-performing country (93%).
In Slovenia, the likelihood of achieving good health experiences for people with chronic conditions is comparable to the OECD PaRIS average (Figure 1).
Nearly two‑thirds (61%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia feel confident managing their own health, which is above the OECD PaRIS average of 59% but 31 percentage points lower than the highest-performing country.
Slightly more than half (57%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report good care co‑ordination, which is just below the OECD PaRIS average of 59%. However, the 24 percentage point difference with the highest-performing country (81%) reveals room for improvement.
More than four out of five (84%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report highly person-centred care, which is just below the OECD PaRIS average and is 13 percentage points lower than the highest-performing country.
Nearly nine out of ten (89%) people with chronic conditions in Slovenia report experiencing good quality of care, which is slightly above the OECD PaRIS average of 87% and 8 percentage points lower than the highest-performing country.
Nearly two‑thirds (63%) of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia trust their healthcare system, which is just above the OECD PaRIS average of 62%.
Source: See Chapter 2 for more details.
People living with multiple chronic conditions report lower levels of physical and mental health, well-being and social functioning compared to those who live with one chronic condition (Chapter 3). This pattern observed in Slovenia is consistent with the OECD PaRIS average. Specifically:
In Slovenia, people with three or more chronic conditions are less likely to report better health compared to those with two chronic conditions. This pattern is consistent with other countries’ results.
People living with multiple chronic conditions in Slovenia have poorer physical health compared to those living with only one chronic condition with a seven‑point difference, a pattern consistent with the PaRIS average. The physical health scores for people with one, two, or three or more chronic conditions in Slovenia are comparable to the OECD PaRIS average (Figure 2). For example, people with three or more chronic conditions in Slovenia have a physical health score below the good-fair cutoff of 42, like the OECD PaRIS average.
Similarly, Slovenia performs comparable to the OECD PaRIS average regarding the mental health of people living with one, two, and three or more chronic conditions. People with three or more chronic conditions in Slovenia report poorer mental health than those with one chronic condition with a five‑point difference, close to the OECD PaRIS average (Figure 3).
As in other OECD countries, people with multiple chronic conditions in Slovenia less often report good social functioning than people with one chronic condition (Figure 4) but in Slovenia this gap is smaller than in most other countries. While 93% of people with one chronic condition in Slovenia have good social functioning, this goes down to 80% of people with three or more chronic conditions, which is 6 percentage points above the OECD PaRIS average for people with three or more chronic conditions.
Primary care consultation features associated with higher levels of experienced quality care are related to time, both time‑scheduled for regular, follow-up consultations, and length of relationship with the same primary care professional (Chapter 3). The role of staff other than physicians supporting the management of people with chronic conditions also plays a role in improving healthcare delivery for people with multiple chronic conditions (Chapter 3). Systematic medication reviews for people with multiple chronic conditions can enhance medication safety, efficacy and care co‑ordination.
Slovenia performs slightly above average in two primary care features, and below average in the other two (Figure 5):
More than a quarter of the people (26%) with two or more chronic conditions in Slovenia are managed in primary care practices that offer follow-up and regular consultations of more than 15 minutes; this is more than 20 percentage points lower compared to the OECD PaRIS average.
In Slovenia, most of the people (96%) with two or more chronic conditions are managed in primary care practices where non-physician staff is involved in chronic disease management; this is 13 percentage points above the OECD PaRIS average.
More than two out of five people (45%) with three or more chronic conditions in Slovenia report that their medication was reviewed by a healthcare professional over the past 12 months; this is below the OECD PaRIS average of 75%.
Three out of five people with two or more chronic conditions (62%) in Slovenia report being with the same primary care professional for more than five years; this is comparable to the OECD PaRIS average (58%).
People‑centred care, healthcare systems addressing the needs of people, is an essential indicator of the quality and performance of healthcare systems and primary care practices (Chapter 4). PaRIS data show that a people‑centred approach that prioritises strong patient engagement and effective care co‑ordination, is associated with enhanced health outcomes and patient experiences. This approach is particularly beneficial in managing chronic conditions, as it empowers patients to actively participate in decisions about their health.
On several indicators of people‑centred care, Slovenia demonstrates mixed performance compared to the OECD PaRIS average (Figure 6):
Around 63% of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia receive enough support to manage their own health, this equals the OECD PaRIS average of 63%.
Only 12% of people with chronic conditions in Slovenia reports confidence in using health information from the internet, which is below the OECD PaRIS average of 19% (range of 5‑34%).
Only 20% of people with chronic conditions are managed in primary care practices that report being well-prepared to co‑ordinate care, which is below the OECD PaRIS average of 56%.
A mere 5% of people with chronic conditions are managed in practices that can exchange medical records electronically, which is far below the OECD PaRIS average of 57%.
These results highlight Slovenia’s strengths in patient support but reveal significant challenges in care co‑ordination, digital health literacy, and electronic medical record adoption in primary care settings.
Among people with chronic conditions, there are differences in well-being and trust in the healthcare systems between genders in Slovenia, both indicators being lower for women (Figure 7 and Figure 8).
This gender gap mirrors results for other countries; Slovenia performs comparable to the OECD PaRIS average in terms of well-being for women.
While about 68% of men in Slovenia have trust in the healthcare system, the percentage for women is lower (59%). These results for trust are close to the OECD PaRIS averages for men (67%) and women (58%).
The gender gap in trust in Slovenia (10 percentage points) is comparable to the OECD PaRIS average gap (9 percentage points).
As in other countries, people with chronic conditions and higher incomes report higher well-being and trust in the healthcare system (Figure 9 and Figure 10):
Across OECD PaRIS countries, people with higher incomes report about 13% better well-being than those with lower incomes. Slovenia levels are slightly above the OECD PaRIS average in both groups.
Seven out of ten people with chronic conditions with higher incomes (71%) in Slovenia trust the healthcare system, compared to 61% of people with lower incomes. Trust levels in the healthcare system across income groups are comparable to the OECD PaRIS average for both high (70%) and low (59%) income groups.
The gap in trust in healthcare between high- and low-income groups in Slovenia is comparable to the OECD PaRIS average (11 percentage points).
PaRIS at a glance
PaRIS contains information on patient-reported outcomes and experience measures as well as health behaviours and capabilities, sociodemographic characteristics from patients and primary care practice characteristics information from healthcare providers. The data collection took place in 2023‑24 and first results were released in the publication, Does Healthcare Deliver: Results from the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS).
Results span 107 011 primary care users (aged 45 years and older) and 1 816 primary care practices in 19 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the United States and Wales (United Kingdom). All results in this country notes are age-sex standardised to adjust for the different demographic profiles of the countries. In Figure 1, highest (lowest) represents the highest (lowest) values found for each indicator among 17 PaRIS countries. In Italy and the United States, eligibility criteria for patient participation differed from the guidelines, therefore, these countries are not included in this figure. For detailed information on national sampling procedures and other methodological details, see Chapter 7 of the report.
Results from Slovenia are based on 3 240 patients and 81 primary care practices. Patients were selected by probability sampling from registries of patients of participating practices. All primary care practices from the registry of family physicians at the National Health Insurance Institute were invited to participate in the survey.
In Slovenia, primary care practices responded to the questionnaire online. Patients responded to the questionnaire online and via paper-and-pencil surveys.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The full book is available in English: OECD (2025), Does Healthcare Deliver?: Results from the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS), OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/c8af05a5-en.
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