1. Development and use of guideline-derived quality indicators for community lymphoedema.
- Author
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Herberger K, Heyer AK, Blome C, Sandner A, Altheide F, Lader-Holtorf M, and Augustin M
- Subjects
- Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Lymphedema therapy, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Quality Indicators, Health Care
- Abstract
Background: Treatment of lymphoedema is complex and needs specific skills. There are no standards for the evaluation of quality of care., Objective: Development and application of indicators for the measurement of quality of care in lymphoedema., Methods: In a three-step process including a national Delphi expert consensus, quality indicators were derived from national and international guidelines. In a cross-sectional study involving a large spectrum of care providers, the quality of lymphoedema care in the community was assessed by transforming the indicators to one unweighted quality index (QI)., Results: A total of 12 quality indicators were identified and applied to n = 348 patients with lymphoedema and lipolymphoedema of any origin in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (90.8% female, mean age 57, SD 14.5 years). On average, 55% of the quality indicators were met, and 64.8% of the patients were satisfied with lymphoedema care. There was a significant correlation between QI and satisfaction., Conclusions: The quality indicators and the QI are feasible and valid for the evaluation of quality of care. They can support optimizing lymphoedema care., (© 2012 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2012 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)
- Published
- 2013
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