Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen
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Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes · Jan 2011
[The role of benchmarking seen from the perspective of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA)].
The Federal Joint Committee as the guardian of quality assurance has a vested interest in benchmarking in health care. This is reflected in the fact that essential features of benchmarking can be found in the cross-institutional quality assurance procedure, which is the main quality assurance measure of the G-BA. However, a morphological analysis of the various quality assurance methods reveals differences in these characteristics. ⋯ Benchmarking is correlated more with the sub-goal of promoting quality rather than with quality control. To other sub-goals pursued with quality assurance, there is rather an indifferent relationship. Whether and to what extent benchmarking will shape these measures is therefore a question of how quality assurance will be put into practice.
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Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes · Jan 2011
[Perspectives and experiences of vocational trainers in General Practice: a survey in Baden-Wuerttemberg].
In order to ensure the delivery of primary care part of the vocational medical training must take place in the general practice setting. In Germany, this requires the authorization to provide general practitioner (GP) training. While in many countries specific qualification programmes for GP trainers are obligatory, this does not yet apply in Germany. The aim of this survey was to explore perspectives and experiences of GP trainers focusing on their needs in view of a possible qualification course. ⋯ For the first time the perspectives and experiences of GP trainers have been explored in the present study. The results may provide a basis for the development of a qualification programme for GP trainers in Germany.
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Over the last ten years changes in the legal framework of the German health care system have promoted the development of new health service models to improve chronic care. Recent innovations include the nation-wide introduction of disease management programmes (DMPs), integrated care contracts, community nurse programmes, the introduction of General Practitioner (GP)-centred care contracts, and new opportunities to offer interdisciplinary outpatient care in polyclinics. The aim of this article is to describe the recent developments regarding both the implementation of new health care models by statutory health insurance companies and their evaluation. ⋯ Only for DMPs, evaluation is legally mandatory; its methods are inappropriate, though, for studying the effectiveness of DMPs. Further study results on the effectiveness of DMPs mostly focus on the DMP Diabetes mellitus type II and show consistent improvements regarding process parameters such as regular routine examinations, adherence to treatment guidelines, and quality of life. More research will be needed to determine whether DMPs can also help reduce the incidence of secondary disease and mortality in the long term.
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What is the benefit of the federal state's investment in and funding of both high-level medical education and health care? The main question is whether the benefit justifies the necessary costs of these institutions. This article seeks to present a model for calculating the economic benefits and other effects of a medical institution for the government investor and financier on the basis of a case study of a German medical faculty. In the end the medical faculty's negotiating position was enhanced on the basis of the monetary results of this expert opinion.
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Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes · Jan 2011
[The "outcome benchmarking in rheumatologic acute care" project of the Association of Rheumatologic Acute Care Clinics (VRA e.V.) in Germany].
By initiating and taking part in the pilot project obra (outcome benchmarking in rheumatologic acute care), which was supported by the German Ministry of Health, the rheumatologic hospitals committed themselves to the continuous improvement of quality through a collective benchmarking and learning process. In addition to verifiable and concrete improvements in quality, the major achievements of the obra pilot project include a cultural change in the participating hospitals as well as the continuation of outcome benchmarking and its expansion to an increasing number of hospitals.