The quality of medical care, measured by the provision of recommended interventions or actual health outcomes, is improving in OECD countries. Health at a Glance 2007 shows that advances in diagnosis and treatment mean that, across OECD countries, only 10% of people hospitalized after a heart attack now die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital, down from 20% in the 1980s. And only 10% of patients admitted to hospital following ischemic stroke die there within 30 days thanks to more treatment to dissolve blood clots and the establishment of new stroke units.
