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. 2023 May 23;83(7):835-842.
doi: 10.1055/a-2061-6845. eCollection 2023 Jul.

QS ENDO Pilot - A Study by the Stiftung Endometrioseforschung (SEF) on the Quality of Care Provided to Patients with Endometriosis in Certified Endometriosis Centers in the DACH Region

Ivo Meinhold-Heerlein  1 , Magdalena Zeppernick  1 , Monika Martina Wölfler  2 , Elisabeth Janschek  3 , Sebastian Bornemann  4 , Laura Holtmann  4 , Frank Oehmke  1 , Darius Salehin  5 , Chi Mi Scheible  5 , Iris Brandes  6 , Sigrid Vingerhagen-Pethick  7 , Claus-Peter Cornelius  8 , Alexander Boosz  9 , Bernhard Krämer  10 , Martin Sillem  11   12 , Klaus Bühler  11   13   14   15 , Jörg Keckstein  11   16   17 , Karl-Werner Schweppe  11 , Felix Zeppernick  1 ; AG QS Endo of the Stiftung Endometrioseforschung (SEF)
Affiliations

QS ENDO Pilot - A Study by the Stiftung Endometrioseforschung (SEF) on the Quality of Care Provided to Patients with Endometriosis in Certified Endometriosis Centers in the DACH Region

Ivo Meinhold-Heerlein et al. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. .

Abstract

Introduction Endometriosis significantly reduces patients' quality of life and is additionally a burden on healthcare and social security systems. There are currently no quality indicators for the treatment of endometriosis. The care of patients with endometriosis must be considered inadequate. QS ENDO aims to record the quality of care available in the DACH region and to introduce quality indicators for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis as part of providing quality assurance in endometriosis care. The first phase, QS ENDO Real, recorded the reality of current care using a questionnaire. The second phase, QS ENDO Pilot, investigated the treatment of 435 patients who underwent surgical treatment within a defined one month period in certified endometriosis centers. Material and Methods An online tool was used to gather information about 9 points which covered both prior patient history and the process of clinical diagnosis. Surgery reports were reviewed to obtain information about the surgical approach, the investigated sites, findings of any histological examinations, the use of classification systems, and information about resection status. Results 85.3% of patients were asked all 4 questions about their prior medical history. All 5 diagnostic steps were carried out in 34.5% of patients. The 3 areas needed to describe potential sites of disease were recorded in 67.1% of patients. Samples for histological examination were taken in 84.1% of patients. The endometriosis stage was classified in 94.7% of surgeries. A combination of the rASRM and the ENZIAN classifications, which is needed for complex cases, was used in 46.1% of patients. Complete resection was achieved in 81.6% of surgical procedures. Conclusion For the first time, the quality of care in certified endometriosis centers has been recorded using QS ENDO Pilot. Despite the high certification standards, a substantial number of required indicators were omitted.

Keywords: endometriosis; healthcare research; quality assurance; reality of current care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest/Interessenkonflikt The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest./Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consort Chart. * Documented cases per center: one center only documented nine cases.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
QS ENDO Pilot – Taking patientsʼ medical history and diagnostic steps based on patient files (n = 435).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
QS ENDO PILOT – reasons for incomplete resection. Data in percent.
Abb. 1
Abb. 1
Consort Chart. * Dokumentierte Fälle pro Zentrum: ein Zentrum mit 9 dokumentierten Fällen.
Abb. 2
Abb. 2
QS ENDO Pilot – durchgeführte Anamnese und Diagnostikschritte nach Patientenakte (n = 435).
Abb. 3
Abb. 3
QS ENDO PILOT – Gründe für fehlende Komplettresektion. Angaben in Prozent.
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