DKG certification of paediatric cancer centres - a wide field ...

Abstract

The German Society of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology (GPOH) and the German Cancer Society (DKG) have defined criteria for DKG certification of paediatric oncology departments. Since 2017, several paediatric oncology departments have already been certified according to these criteria. DKG certification aims for the harmonized and transparent presentation of the quality of care of paediatric oncology patients, as described by Mensah et al. The definition of certification criteria led to controversies within the GPOH about how far the criteria themselves would withstand scientific verifiability. We critically reviewed the paper by Mensah et al. asking whether valid conclusions for the German health system could be drawn from it. We found that currently defined criteria for DKG certification of paediatric oncology departments lack scientific evidence for German paediatric cancer centres in critical aspects. This article challenges case numbers as a parameter for the measurement of quality of care in German paediatric oncology. We try to contribute to an open discussion about alternative criteria for ensuring quality of care in German paediatric oncology departments.