Social-Medical Aftercare for Preterm Infants - Effects from the Directive of G-BA(QFR-RL)

Background Substantial progress in perinatal care has decreased mortality of very preterm infants over the past decades, however long-term morbidity is still concerning. Social medical aftercare (SMA) is the interdisciplinary support of families to reduce the length of hospital stay, ensure treatment success, and avoid rehospitalisation. The directive of the German Federal Joined Committee (G-BA) requires in its quality control guidelines for perinatal centres level I (international level III equivalent) and II mandatory transition of infants to SMA. Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of this directive on SMA services. Methods All SMA services were asked to complete an online survey for analysis. Numbers of patients reported online were compared with data of the effective reporting of the SMA head organization and the Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Healthcare. Results 53 (52.4%) data sets from 9 federal states were analysed. 56.6% described effects in their work. 24.5% (n = 13) reported the opening of new services, 17% (n = 9) hired new personnel, and 18.9% (n = 10) provided more services to patients. The number of cases in 2017 shows a supply rate of 24%. Conclusion More than half of SMA services report effects in their work. However, statistically significant changes in the number of preterm patients in care between 2016 and 2017 were not found. In order to achieve complete realisation of the G-BA directive, a nationwide provision of this service and sufficient financing are necessary.