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Doctors have thousands of patients waiting for femoral fracture surgery
Most hospitals perform surgeries or cancer treatments according to the current recommendations and provide good quality. However, in some cases, patients are evidently not treated well and must, e.g. if there is a break, wait several days for the surgery. This is shown in a recent report on hospital quality, for which experts from the Göttingen-based AQUA Institute evaluated just under 3.3 million data sets.
Patients wait more than two days for surgery
Anyone who has contracted a bone fracture usually hopes for a quick treatment. If it is a complicated case or a so-called "open" fracture surgery is usually necessary, otherwise there is a risk that the bone does not grow together properly and malpositions can develop. In addition, there is an increased risk of complications such as delayed surgery. a thrombosis or pressure ulcer (pressure sores).
Thousands of patients are waiting for an operation. Image: PhotographyByMK - fotolia Accordingly, no patient would like to wait a long time for the procedure to be performed. For some thigh injuries, however, this seems to be bitter reality. This emerges from a recent report on hospital quality, which was presented on Thursday in Berlin.
On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee of Health Insurance Funds, doctors and clinics, experts from the Aqua Institute had evaluated nearly 3.3 million data sets from around 1,600 clinics for the comprehensive study. They came to the conclusion that, among other things, the waiting times in many hospitals are a problem. Because in more than 12 percent of cases with a fracture of the femur last year went more than 48 hours to surgery.
Doctors are more and more frequently performing catheter treatments contrary to the recommendations
In addition, the experts criticized the increasing number of catheter-based interventions on the heart valves, in which e.g. a new heart valve is transported via a wire or tubular instrument via the blood vessels to the heart. Here, however, there are certain guidelines that the method should only be used if a standard open-chest surgery is too risky. In younger, otherwise healthy cardiac patients but so far - u.a. because of the increased risk of stroke during catheter surgery - the classic open variant as the method of choice.
However, the new report shows that, contrary to these recommendations, catheters are often also used in patients without major health risks. According to the experts from the Aqua Institute, the number of interventions in 2013 would even have surpassed that of conventional open surgery. In 2014, the number of catheter-supported missions had even increased by another 27 percent.
Hospitals can not be hitherto committed to faster surgery
"We have a good quality of care, but there is room for improvement in individual areas," said Joachim Szecsenyi, managing director of the Aqua Institute, to the news agency "dpa". According to the report, this also affects the area of cardiac pacemakers - although the use of the small device to treat patients with a slow heartbeat (bradycardia) is generally good. But in three percent of the patients, the researchers were able to use the data to understand that a new procedure was needed within a year of implantation. However, according to the experts, this is "too frequent".
From the point of view of the health insurance companies, however, such criticisms would rarely lead to consequences. "The shortcoming is that there is no way to oblige the hospital, which does not operate on time, or to deprive him of the supply contract," said Bernhard Egger, medical expert of the health insurance association to the news agency. Although a change is foreseen in the context of the hospital's reform of the coalition, the Länder would have to take action to implement it.
Despite the problems, however, there is no fundamental concern for patients. Instead, the data reviewed would be based on the majority of surgeries, cancer treatments or transplants as recommended. These criticisms are indeed important areas, but at the same time also runaways, the experts conclude. Because "in 99.9 per cent" of the examined achievements a good quality had been furnished, emphasized the managing director of the German hospital company, Georg tree in the discussion with the "dpa".
"The quality level of our hospitals is evaluated in the annual quality report and made transparent. The report is thus an essential basis for further developing and improving the quality of medical treatment in a patient-oriented manner, "Dr. Regina Klakow-Franck from the Federal Joint Committee. (No)