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265484 German care reform act: Improving quality through transparencyWednesday, October 31, 2012
: 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
The German care reform act, which came into force in 2008, introduced regularly audits of all inpatient and outpatient institutions in the care sector. Audit results are published through quality reports which intend to help persons in need of care make informed choices regarding care facilities. Audits are conducted by an independent institution to assure an objective and standardized approach. This study analyzed quality reports from 2009 to 2011 of 253 nursing homes of a large metropolitan area to evaluate the status-quo of quality of care. We focused on four major areas (care, provision of medical care, care of mentally ill patients, living and housekeeping) consisting of 64 items. Study findings suggest significant improvements concerning quality of care and service from 2009 to 2011 in all areas measured. While most institutions achieved best results in living and housekeeping, analysis revealed major needs for improvements regarding care and provision of medical care such as pain management, prevention of bedsore and muscle contractions, as well as wound care. In conclusion, study results imply that transparency regarding the quality of care facilities enabled customers to make informed choices. This in turn applied pressure on those institutions to distinguish themselves from competitors by enhancing quality of care and services. However, findings suggest that institutions primarily focus on areas that allow to improve audit results within a short space of time, e.g., housekeeping, rather than focusing on care-related processes – exactly those areas that can affect health status and may entail significant health care costs.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practiceProgram planning Provision of health care to the public Public health or related nursing Public health or related public policy Public health or related research Learning Objectives: Keywords: Health Care Reform, Public Health Nursing, Outcomes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I made substantial contributions to conception, analysis and interpretation of the study data. I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.
Back to: 5137.0: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Quality Improvement
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