[Quality control in Austrian hospitals--results of evaluation]

The revision of the federal hospital act (Nov. 11, 1993; BGB1 Nr. 801/93) intends the introduction of an internal quality control as well as comparisons between different hospitals. For the application fo these constitutional requirements, the state governments had to develop laws being the basis for the hospital management to implement quality assurance. To support the introduction of a systematic quality control, the federal ministry of health published a guideline for quality assurance which was made available to all hospitals. Now, a questionnaire in all Austrian hospitals was designed to evaluate the progress and the specific ways of implementations as well as the possible need for action in the future.