Quality of care in Germany: Dramatic differences by region!

Quality of care in Germany: Dramatic differences by region!

In 2023, significant differences in the quality of care were found between different regions of Germany. The AOK Wido Scientific Institute has created a detailed quality atlas based on billing data, which evaluates ten indicators for the quality of nursing homes. This analysis covers 401 districts and independent cities and shows some alarming results.

The quality atlas, based on data up to March 2023, covers many critical areas including pressure ulcers, fall risks, dehydration in people with dementia and hospital admissions. According to the results, East German federal states have performed better in this regard than their West German counterparts, particularly in the supply of pharmaceuticals. For example, the incidence of pressure ulcers nationwide is 12.5%, with some regions such as the Celle district reaching 11% and others such as Kaiserslautern and Bad Kreuznach reaching almost 19%.

Regional differences in critical events

The differences in the dehydration of dementia patients are particularly striking. On average, 4% of those affected were hospitalized because of dehydration, but this varies greatly. While only 1% was affected in the Celle district, this rate was 13.5% in the Wesermarsch and even 11% in Freyung-Grafenau.

• Die Augenuntersuchungen für Diabetiker zeigen ebenfalls ein besorgniserregendes Bild. Über 79 % der Pflegeheimbewohnenden mit Diabetes erhielten im Jahr 2023 keine augenärztliche Vorsorge. In Regionen wie Freyung-Grafenau lag dieser Wert sogar über 90 %.
• In Hamburg und Berlin lag die Rate der nicht durchgeführten Untersuchungen bei 68 % bzw. 55 %.
• Sturz risikobehaftete Medikamente (FRIDs) führten bei 16,23 % der Pflegeheimbewohnenden zu hospitalisierten Stürzen, und der Anteil stieg in bestimmten Regionen wie dem Saarland an, wo über 15 % der Bewohner betroffen waren.

AOK boss Carola Reimann appealed to care facilities with critical results to use the Wido analyzes to develop targeted improvements in patient care. The data is based on evaluations of around 350,000 nursing home residents aged 60 and over, which corresponds to around half of all people in need of inpatient care in Germany.

Overall, the quality atlas shows that the results for 2023 are only marginally better than in previous years. This poses major challenges for those involved in the healthcare system, as the quality of care in Germany needs to be further improved.

carevor9 reports about the basic findings, while Wido provides current data that provides more transparency about the quality of care.