The IQWiG not only examines the benefits and harms of medical interventions for early benefit assessments but also produces independent, evidence-based reports by conducting systematic searches of the international scientific literature on certain topics as requested by the G-BA.
Relationship of quantity and quality
One such topic is the relationship between the “quantity” of a medical service delivered by a hospital (“Leistungsmenge”) and the quality of the outcomes of these services.
Recently, the IQWiG assessed this relationship for
- allogeneic stem cell transplantation in adults, and
- autologous stem cell transplantation in adults.
Results for allogeneic and autologous SCT
The IQWiG identified one observational study each for allogeneic and autologous SCT. In both these studies, the “quantity” or number of procedures was measured at the transplant center level and the treatment outcomes were assessed by overall mortality.
Allogeneic SCT
There was one study, which qualified for the “high certainty” level. This study showed that transplant centers delivering a higher number of SCTs also had better treatment outcomes, i.e. lower mortality. This means higher numbers of transplantations were related to a higher quality.
Autologous SCT
The available study was categorized as having only “low certainty”. This study showed no relationship between the number of SCTs and the treatment outcomes.
Studies on minimum case number
The IQWiG also aimed to evaluate studies that investigated the effect of a minimum case number for stem cell transplants on the quality of the treatment outcomes; however, no studies were identified.
You can access the full rapid report (in German) here.