Quality assurance in geriatrics--opportunities and risks involved in the current health care reform in Germany

Geriatrics is needed as an independent discipline to cope with the demographic challenges ahead in a medically qualified manner. Geriatrics is a "supraspeciality" and not a "subspeciality" of Internal Medicine, because geriatrics typically combines the different medical disciplin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRehabilitation (Stuttgart) Vol. 47; no. 3; p. 180
Main Authors Sieber, C, Trögner, J, Penz, M, Gerber, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageGerman
Published Germany 01.06.2008
Subjects
Aged
Ambulatory Care - trends
Cooperative Behavior
Forecasting
Geriatrics - trends
Germany
Health Care Reform - trends
Health Services for the Aged - trends
Health Services Needs and Demand - trends
Humans
National Health Programs - trends
Patient Care Team - trends
Population Dynamics
Quality Assurance, Health Care - trends
Specialization - trends
Germany
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Summary:Geriatrics is needed as an independent discipline to cope with the demographic challenges ahead in a medically qualified manner. Geriatrics is a "supraspeciality" and not a "subspeciality" of Internal Medicine, because geriatrics typically combines the different medical disciplines and does not play a role as an independent functional area. For general practitioners and medical specialists a geriatric qualification is required. The geriatric structures in place in the German federal states need to be adapted and advanced with a focus on ambulatory geriatric service provision. The current health care reform has resulted in a strengthening of rehabilitation in general and in particular of an ambulant/mobile service approach. The resultant opportunities and risks are described. Internal and external quality assurance is indispensable for the advancement of structures including geriatrics and social medicine.
ISSN:0034-3536
DOI:10.1055/s-2007-993168