Access to good healthcare is consistently one of the key concerns when we put a cross at the ballot box or find ourselves ill and needing the best treatment available.
For the past five years, Newsweek, in partnership with data firm Statista, has ranked the best hospitals in the world.
If you consider what those past five years have involved – the global outbreak of COVID-19, the first major war Europe has seen in the 21st century which in turn has exacerbated inflation, an energy and cost of living crisis, and cuts in funding – it’s been a high-pressure time for healthcare.
In terms of methodology, Newsweek’s research analysed 2,300 hospitals across 28 countries, and listed the top 250. The list includes specialty hospitals too, and compares the contenders across research, innovation, standard of care, and consistency.
The countries were chosen based on certain factors including the standard of living, life expectancy, population, number of hospitals, and availability of data.
Over 80,000 medical experts took part in an online survey, and patient feedback was also taken into account. Plus, the results take information from quality metrics like hygiene ratings.
According to Newsweek, “the world’s best hospitals consistently attract the best people and provide the best outcomes for patients as well as the most important new therapies and research.
“Of all the hospitals in the world, relatively few can do all those things year in and year out”.
Here are some of the key results.
Which European countries made the top 10?
The continent’s best hospitals, according to the research, were found in Sweden, Germany, and France which took the top spots in the final European ranking.
Sweden’s Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset in Solna came in 6th place overall, the highest performer in Europe.
The university hospital works with medical students and professors from the famous Karolinska Institutet, and single-handedly accounts for the largest share of academic medical research in the country.
Charité – the hospital linked to Universitätsmedizin Berlin – ranked 7th place overall. It’s one of the biggest university hospitals in Europe and has produced over half of the country’s Nobel Prize winners for medicine and physiology. It also prides itself on being one of the biggest employers in Germany’s capital.
Paris’ AP-HP – Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière made 8th place. It’s internationally recognised for its research in conditions ranging from disorders of the nervous system, cancerology and oncology, emergency care, and care for the elderly.
Overall, the European countries with the most high-ranking hospitals were Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Which country overall has the best hospitals?
The top four spots on Newsweek and Statista’s list are dominated by US hospitals.
In first place comes Rochester’s Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. If you’ve ever Googled symptoms, chances are you’ve heard of Mayo Clinic as the group has articles and advice on practically every ailment.
The Rochester Mayo Clinic is widely heralded as being the best in health issues including cancer, heart health, geriatrics, gynaecology, and neurology.
In second place, Newsweek named Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in third Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and in fourth, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.
Overall, the US takes 10 places in the top 25 and 46 out of the 250 hospitals listed all together.