Quality assessment in inpatient long-term care has been fundamentally renewed. The system introduces new contents and methods of quality assessment, which are designed to enable realistic quality statements. From a nursing perspective, the new system offers the opportunity to place quality discussions and practices of quality assurance on a professionally sound basis. The IPW, in part together with the Göttingen-based aQua Institute, has developed the conceptual basis for these innovations.
The transition to the new system began in autumn 2019. However, the Corona pandemic led to an interruption after only a few months and is still preventing quality assessments from being implemented according to schedule. Due to the ever-changing situation, nursing facilities should inform themselves of the current status of the procedures at the MDS and the data evaluation centre.
The IPW accompanies the implementation among other things with the present information offer. Below you will find materials and references to other information sources that may be important for understanding the new system (only in German).
A summary of the innovations in the quality assessment system can be downloaded (DE) from the BibliomedPflege portal.
In September 2018, the IPW and the aQua Institute presented their final report with recommendations for the redesign of quality assessments in inpatient care. It mainly includes the conception for a new assessment procedure, proposals for the integration of the new outcome quality indicators and the conception for the new quality representations.
An abridged version of this report is also available for download (DE) from the office of the Quality Committee for Nursing Care.
Download final report (DE) from the office of the Quality Committee for Nursing Care.
The new system also includes the indicator approach for assessing outcome quality, which the IPW already developed in 2009/2010. The report on this development project contains numerous technical notes that are important for understanding the indicator approach. However, please note that the approach has been further developed in the meantime.
Download final report (DE) of the Federal Ministry of Health.
In order to prepare facilities, a training programme is currently being set up by the associations of the facilities. For this purpose, standardized training materials for the indicator approach and a recommendation for the structure of the training courses are available.
Trainigs materials PDF (DE)
Recommendation for the structure of the training courses PDF (DE)
The new standards and principles („Maßstäbe und Grundsätze für die Qualität, Qualitätssicherung und Qualitätsdarstellung in der vollstationären Pflege sowie für die Entwicklung eines einrichtungsinternen Qualitätsmanagements nach § 113 SGB XI") contain the currently valid regulations for the implementation of the indicator approach.
Download (DE) from the office of the Quality Committee for Nursing Care.
In the meantime, the new quality inspection guideline is also available. It contains the rules for the new audit procedure that are applicable as of 01 November 2019.
Download (DE) from the Medical Service of the GKV-Spitzenverband.
The Quality Representation Agreement for Inpatient Care (QDVS) is another important component of the new system of quality assessment. It specifies how quality assessments and other information about inpatient care facilities are to be published in the future.
Download (DE) from the office of the Quality Committee for Nursing Care.