The Practicability of General Internal Medicine Quality Indicators in Hospital Inpatient Care

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND: In the summer of 2021, the Swiss Society for General Internal Medicine (SGAIM) published six quality indicators for the inpatient sector for the first time. The aim of these indicators is to facilitate a structured quality improvement process in internal medicine. The present implementation study examines the practicability of the quality indicators recommended by the SGAIM. METHODS: Using the QUALIFY assessment tool for quality indicators, the SGAIM indicators are structurally evaluated using the example of Hospital Männedorf. Within this framework, a retrospective data analysis of the years 2020 and 2021 was carried out. RESULTS: The results were calculated according to the recommended evaluation intervals and were as such: A provisional discharge report within 24 hours was sent to the follow-up institution for an average of 23.7% of discharges. A new prescription of benzodiazepines in patients with an age of ≥65 years occurred in an average of 17.2% of patients per month. The fall history was collected from 100% of the patients. The monthly proportion of patients with transfusions with an Hb value of >8g/dl was 17.9% on average. The proportion of CIRS cases per patient averaged 1.3%. Hepatitis B vaccination protection was available to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The quality indicators recommended by the SGAIM for the transmission of provisional discharge reports, new prescriptions for benzodiazepines and transfusions with Hb values >8 g/dl proved helpful. Development potential was shown for the following quality indicators: CIRS case processing, biography of falls in the last 12 months and hepatitis B vaccination protection.