[Regional quality assurance in medical rehabilitation. The Schleswig-Holstein medical rehabilitation quality community--initiative and testing].

In light of the growing age of the population in Germany and worldwide as well as the increasing of chronic diseases, there can be no doubt about the importance of medical rehabilitation. Yet the unbalanced proportions of treatment (costs), effectiveness and efficiency have been discussed critically in the past. The Statutory Pension Insurance scheme responded to this imbalance with a comprehensive quality assurance programme. Furthermore, a nation-wide Rehabilitation Research Funding Programme was established. Still missing, however, are transfer of scientific results into practice and a quality assurance programme that focuses on outcomes and effectiveness. In 2001, in Schleswig-Holstein, a "Medical Rehabilitation Quality Community" was initiated. The Community aims are a higher level of transparency of rehabilitation treatment procedures, providing proof of effects on patient outcomes, and comparison of effects achieved in different rehabilitation clinics, based on patient surveys. After completion of funded pre- and main phases, the Medical Rehabilitation Quality Community will be continued on a self-initiative and self-financing basis. In this paper, procedures and feasibility of the project are described. The main empirical results (outcomes, patient satisfaction, treatment after rehabilitation, n = 2026, and indication related benchmarking) will be presented in a subsequent article.