[Quality assurance and guidelines in intensive care medicine]

Although validated instruments are readily available for structured outcome assessment, this has been rarely employed in German intensive care units yet. Analysis of the effectiveness or efficiency of intensive care medicine without systematic assessment of outcomes and underlying structures and processes is impossible. Detailed knowledge of outcomes is mandatory, when continuous quality improvement is warranted. In the future, German intensive care units should implement regular outcome assessment to allow objective comparisons considering the particular case mix. Evidence-based guidelines may facilitate both, development of objectives, and assessment of outcomes. Owing to the advancement of medicine regular updates of guidelines are mandatory. Moreover, targets for the quality assessment need to be adjusted accordingly. This finally leads toward a continuous quality improvement process.