More than every other hospital in Germany should be closed according to experts, in order to improve the care of patients. Of the currently, nearly 1400 hospitals, only about 600 bigger and better clinics should remain the same, according to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. The remaining hospitals could then get more staff and better equipment.
“Only hospitals with larger departments and more patients have enough experience for a safe treatment,” explain the authors of the study. Many complications and deaths could be avoided if the health system, Doctors, nursing staff, as well as devices would bundle in a few clinics. Small clinics do not have often the necessary equipment and experience to treat life-threatening emergencies such as a heart attack or a stroke is appropriate.
Specifically, it is stated in the investigation:
- Only in large hospitals could be a specialist provide round-the-clock to be occupied.
- A concentration could in the remaining clinics anywhere also computer tomographs, and other important devices are available.
- Also, the nursing shortage could be reduced to be. “There is a lack of medical staff, the current clinic number to maintain,” writes the Bertelsmann project Manager Jan goats.
The German hospital society (DKG) criticized the study sharply. “Whoever proposes, from around 1600 Acute care hospitals close to 1000 flat, and the remaining 600 clinics to major hospitals, promotes the destruction of social infrastructure in a truly adventurous an extent,” said DCT President Gerald Gaß, according to a message.
The majority of care in the hospitals it was in addition to basic medical care, such as births or age-related diseases of Internal medicine. “The treatments are, the families – and close to home in-reach to hospitals in the future need to be provided”, called Gass.
Easy to reach, or better equipped?
In Germany will be discussed for some time whether it would be appropriate to reduce the number of clinics. Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) had recently emphasized: “A hospital is a piece of home is, for many citizens.” In public health emergencies there is a need for a quickly accessible supply. Hospitals in rural regions receive from the health insurance funds in the future additional money. Are provided in the next annual financial injection for 120 hospitals of 400,000 Euro and, thus, a total of 48 million euros.
In the Bertelsmann study, however, the quick accessibility of a small hospital was only a perceived advantage. If there is no specialist was available, the clinic is a serious quality drawback. A case study for the Region of Cologne/Leverkusen and the adjacent rural area have shown that patients will have to take a reduction in the number of clinics from 38 to 14 in the average not much longer driving times.
The financial situation of many hospitals in Germany is precarious. According to recent Figures of the German hospital society, every third hospital in 2017, has written in the red.
Further study: hospitals operate in spite of a lack of Routine
The authors of the Bertelsmann study, propose a two-stage construction of a new hospital structure. In addition to supply hospitals with an average of 600 beds, there should be about 50 University clinics and the other a maximum of utility with an average of 1300 beds. Currently, a third of the German hospitals less than 100 beds. The average size of the hospitals was under 300 beds.
In June, a further study of the Bertelsmann Foundation, had warned that patients in Germany could suffer when operations under the lack of Routine of Physicians. In order to protect patients allowed clinics to carry out certain predictable and complicated procedures in theory only, if you treat every year, a certain number of cases.
The Bertelsmann-analysis showed that 40 percent of the clinics that perform such treatments ignore, however, this legally required case numbers. Specifically, it is, among other things, to the care of premature babies with a birth weight of less than 1250 grams (a minimum of 14 cases per year) or knee joint prostheses (at least 50 cases per year).
The German hospital society, also rejected these allegations. If certain operations were carried out below the minimum amount, then often only because of the allowable exceptions or emergencies, it had not been, it was said.
