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More than ten percent of heart attack patients are not optimally cared for
A heart attack is a dangerous event and can have fatal consequences for those affected. For this reason, it is particularly important that the disease is recognized and treated as quickly as possible. But many heart attack patients in Germany are not optimally cared for.
Every year around 300,000 Germans suffer a heart attack
Every year around 300,000 people in Germany suffer a heart attack. In acute cases, rapid action is needed. Timely heart attack diagnosis saves lives. According to experts, cardiac surgery care in Germany is generally very good, but there are obviously also deficits here. According to a recent report, many infarct patients in German hospitals are not optimally cared for.
According to a recent report, many heart attack patients in Germany are not optimally cared for. Upon delivery, the ambulance should head to the most appropriate clinic. (Image: Thaut Images / fotolia.com) Many clinics do not have a cardiac catheterization lab
As the Scientific Institute of the AOK (WIdO) writes in a statement, shows the "Quality Monitor 2017" of the WIdO and the Association Health City Berlin that many heart attack patients in Germany are not optimally cared for.
According to a survey of clinics conducted specifically for the Quality Monitor, about 40 percent of hospitals that treated heart attacks in 2014 did not have a cardiac catheterization laboratory that should be the standard for the treatment of acute infarcts.
22,000 patients do not get optimal care
"These clinics treat relatively few cases, about 10 percent of all heart attacks. But that is an estimated 22,000 patients per year who do not receive optimal care, although there is certainly no shortage of cardiac catheterization laboratories in Germany, "explained Prof. Thomas Mansky, Head of the Department of Structural Development and Quality Management in Health Care of the Technical University (TU) Berlin and one of the authors of the quality monitor.
Ambulance should head to the most appropriate hospital
From the point of view of the AOK, the results show that hospital planning requires a stronger focus on clinics with good quality of treatment and good facilities. "In addition, we need a better-controlled instruction of patients in the right clinics," said Martin Litsch, CEO of the AOK Federal Association.
"The ambulance should not drive to the nearest hospital, but to the most appropriate hospital that can provide optimal care for the patient. This would usually not even extend the transport routes, "said Litsch.
He called for a new approach to a cross-sector emergency response concept that includes clinics emergency rooms, on-call medical service and rescue services. (Ad)