METHOD OF INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE IN G ENERAL-SURGERY

Between April 1993 and December 1996, the data of 3183 patients were r ecorded and analyzed in a program for internal quality assurance at th e Department of General and Abdominal Surgery of the University of Mai nz. The measuring of perioperative risk, the finding of intraoperative influences and the objective rating of quality of treatment were achi eved by means of eight different operation-specific documentation shee ts and the data records of the operation theater. With our system it i s possible to measure differences between several surgeons and also di fferences in comparison to national and international results. By mean s of prospective collection of patient data and the built-in control m echanisms we obtain a lot of exact and nearly complete data. Tile info rmation gained not only reflects the performance of a department, but can also be used as an instrument for the planning of work and deducti on. Through optimized therapy the program can lead to an improvement o f quality.