title: [Analysis of public quality reports for home care and long-term care with respect to their usefulness for the customer].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public quality reports, based on new legislative regulations of 2008, were supposed to offer potential customers the possibility to make a well-informed choice of a care provider.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This empirical study on marks for long-term care is based on the public quality reports of the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Companies (MDK), of 11 884 home care services and 10 310 nursing homes, which corresponds to a comprehensive survey of almost all care providers in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistical methods and discussion of the results concerning the customer benefit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of transparency reports reveals a limited value for customers, which is particularly caused by very good quality results with low scattering. In addition, a high amount of missing data - especially in the area of home care providers - leads to a growing influence of service criteria on the final grade. Though deficits in nursing might be compensated by good marks in service criteria, it rarely occurs. At present, a more detailed look at risk criteria hardly improves the customer benefit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The marks for nursing need to be improved to increase their informative value for the customer.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Sozialpolitik, Universität Bremen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sünderkamp
authors.affiliation: Kompetenzzentrum «Vernetzte Gesundheit», Hochschule Neu-Ulm, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weiß
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Sozialpolitik, Universität Bremen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rothgang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011639:Public Opinion; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence
keywords: Assessment of quality; MDK-Transparenzbericht; Pflegedienst; Pflegeheim; Pflegenoten; Qualität; home care; long-term care; public reporting; quality of long-term care services