[Baden-Württemberg quality assurance in surgery]

In the hospitals of Baden-Württemberg quality assurance is performed by means of tracers e.g. with standardized guidelines for diagnosis and therapy in femur fractures, appendectomies, cholelithiasis/cholecystitis, cancer of the rectum. In the first part datas of each patient are collected, examined and evaluated. One part of the evaluation includes all patients, the other part only patients of one clinic. This particular clinic has thus the possibility to compare its results with the average results of all clinics. A Consilium Chirurgicum (Surgical Study Group) defines the reference scope and determines certain quality indicators, such as septic complications, damages caused by inadequate positioning of the patient, rate of innocent appendectomies. These indicators are based on scientific background. In an important second part, the clinic must then react to the deficiencies, must eliminate and prevent them. The Consilium Chirurgicum observes the quality assurance and quality improvement. It has the possibility to remind the clinic anonymously or in case of massive or long lasting deficiencies to ask officially for an explanation.