Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Aug 1:15:Doc10.
doi: 10.3205/000251. eCollection 2017.

Quality indicators in intensive care medicine for Germany - third edition 2017

Oliver Kumpf  1 , Jan-Peter Braun  2 , Alexander Brinkmann  3 , Hanswerner Bause  4 , Martin Bellgardt  5 , Frank Bloos  6 , Rolf Dubb  7 , Clemens Greim  8 , Arnold Kaltwasser  7 , Gernot Marx  9 , Reimer Riessen  10 , Claudia Spies  1 , Jörg Weimann  11 , Gabriele Wöbker  12 , Elke Muhl  13 , Christian Waydhas  14   15
Affiliations
Review

Quality indicators in intensive care medicine for Germany - third edition 2017

Oliver Kumpf et al. Ger Med Sci. .

Abstract
in English, German

Quality improvement in medicine is depending on measurement of relevant quality indicators. The quality indicators for intensive care medicine of the German Interdisciplinary Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI) from the year 2013 underwent a scheduled evaluation after three years. There were major changes in several indicators but also some indicators were changed only minimally. The focus on treatment processes like ward rounds, management of analgesia and sedation, mechanical ventilation and weaning, as well as the number of 10 indicators were not changed. Most topics remained except for early mobilization which was introduced instead of hypothermia following resuscitation. Infection prevention was added as an outcome indicator. These quality indicators are used in the peer review in intensive care, a method endorsed by the DIVI. A validity period of three years is planned for the quality indicators.

Qualitätsverbesserung in der Medizin hängt von der Messung relevanter Qualitätsindikatoren ab. Die Qualitätsindikatoren für die Intensivmedizin der Deutschen Interdisziplinären Vereinigung für Intensivmedizin (DIVI) aus dem Jahre 2013 sind nun planmäßig nach drei Jahren überarbeitet und angepasst worden. Hierbei gab es deutliche Änderungen in einigen Indikatoren während einige nur minimal verändert wurden. Der Fokus auf intensivmedizinische Behandlungsprozesse wie interprofessionelle Visiten, Management von Analgesie und Sedierung, Beatmung und Weaning blieb ebenso bestehen wie die Gesamtzahl von 10 Indikatoren. Die Themenschwerpunkte blieben weitgehend bestehen außer der Frühmobilisation, welche anstatt der Hypothermie nach Reanimation eingeführt wurde. Infektionsprävention wurde als Ergebnisindikator hinzugefügt. Diese Qualitätsindikatoren werden im Peer Review Prozess der DIVI eingesetzt. Eine Gültigkeitsdauer von drei Jahren ist für diese Qualitätsindikatoren geplant.

Keywords: intensive care medicine; peer review; quality indicators; quality management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests regarding the content of this manuscript.

Figures

Table 1
Table 1. Obstructing factors for QI implementation (according to de Vos et al.) [12]
Figure 1
Figure 1. Introduction of quality indicators
Use of quality indicators in intensive care medicine by employing the PDCA cycle. QI are useful for measurement of the actual situation to support further planning. Their main use is the evaluation of the effects of newly introduced actions. They provide the crucial link between “Check” and “Act”.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Braun JP, Mende H, Bause H, Bloos F, Geldner G, Kastrup M, Kuhlen R, Markewitz A, Martin J, Quintel M, Steinmeier-Bauer K, Waydhas C, Spies C NeQuI (quality network in intensive care medicine) Quality indicators in intensive care medicine: why? Use or burden for the intensivist. GMS Ger Med Sci. 2010;8:Doc22. doi: 10.3205/000111. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3205/000111. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Braun JP, Kumpf O, Deja M, Brinkmann A, Marx G, Bloos F, Kaltwasser A, Dubb R, Muhl E, Greim C, Bause H, Weiler N, Chop I, Waydhas C, Spies C. The German quality indicators in intensive care medicine 2013 – second edition. GMS Ger Med Sci. 2013;11:Doc09. doi: 10.3205/000177. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3205/000177. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kumpf O, Bloos F, Bause H, Brinkmann A, Deja M, Marx G, Kaltwasser A, Dubb R, Muhl E, Greim CA, Weiler N, Chop I, Jonitz G, Schaefer H, Felsenstein M, Liebeskind U, Leffmann C, Jungbluth A, Waydhas C, Pronovost P, Spies C, Braun JP Netzwerk Qualität in der Intensivmedizin (NeQuI) Voluntary peer review as innovative tool for quality improvement in the intensive care unit – a retrospective descriptive cohort study in German intensive care units. GMS Ger Med Sci. 2014;12:Doc17. doi: 10.3205/000202. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3205/000202. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Braun JP, Bause H, Bloos F, Geldner G, Kastrup M, Kuhlen R, Markewitz A, Martin J, Mende H, Quintel M, Steinmeier-Bauer K, Waydhas C, Spies C NeQuI (quality network in intensive care medicine) Peer reviewing critical care: a pragmatic approach to quality management. GMS Ger Med Sci. 2010 Oct 8;8:Doc23. doi: 10.3205/000112. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3205/000112. - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brinkmann A, Genz R, Köberer A, Fuchs T, Weber R, Dubb R, et al. Dialog auf Augenhöhe. f&w - Führen und Wirtschaften im Krankenhaus. 2013;30:598–601.

MeSH terms