Inpatient Quality Indicators of General Internal Medicine: Implementation Study with Practicability Assessment and Retrospective Data Analysis

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 The QUALIFY assessment tool for quality indicators is used to assess the practicability of the SGAIM indicators in a structured manner based on their implementation in a single center. 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 provided added value in everyday clinical practice CIRS case processing, biography of falls in the last 12 months and hepatitis B vaccination protection did not provide any benefit for practice in their current form.