[Public online reporting of urological content for hospital choice making in Germany: a systematic overview]

BACKGROUND : The acquisition of information on hospitals' quality-of-care is an important aspect for patients' decision-making, especially in the setting of elective interventions. Moreover, hospitals depend on a transparent representation of their performance in the current competitive setting. This study aims to evaluate the representation and rating of online hospital report cards with special focus on urological disease and departments. MATERIAL UND METHODS : We undertook a systematic internet search to identify eligible online hospital report cards. The quality of hospital report cards was rated on a scoring system that was developed specifically for this purpose. RESULTS:  Ten of 42 (24 %) identified hospital report cards were included. Urological content was available in 9 of 10 (90 %); detailed information on surgical interventions and outcomes was given in 3 (33 %) hospital navigators. Recommended criteria for evaluation of transparency and reliability of medical information were most present in the Weisse Liste, and the hospital-navigators of AOK and BARMER. The Weisse Liste is currently the only HON-code certified hospital report card in Germany. CONCLUSION : There is a broad, but divers range of online hospital report cards available for patients in Germany. The evaluation of urological content of hospital report cards is currently feasible in terms of analysis of general parameters, but not on outcome specific quality indicators. Clarity and reduction on essential information is warranted to ensure user-oriented platforms.