National quality development programs for outpatient physiotherapy (NP-QuePT)

Description

The 2019 revision of the Federal Health Insurance Act mandated the Swiss Federal Quality Commission (EQK) to strengthen quality in the provision of medical care. For outpatient physiotherapy outside hospitals, no systematic quality improvement programme currently exists.

Commissioned by Physioswiss and funded by the EQK, the project addresses this gap through a multi-stage approach. First, areas with a significant need for action are identified and the five to six most relevant conditions, together with their established treatment methods, are selected for examination. On this basis, measurable improvement goals are defined, evidence-based measures are developed or selected, and an implementation strategy is devised. A context and feasibility analysis across all language regions and practice sizes examines viability; in parallel, evaluation instruments and a cost-benefit assessment are developed. Where feasibility is confirmed, an implementation package follows, along with its piloting and a nationwide scale-up.

The project delivers practice-oriented, scientifically grounded quality indicators and an implementable quality development system that allows the quality of care to be captured, compared and systematically advanced. In the long term, this establishes a nationally supported monitoring system; upon completion, the indicators can be integrated into the EQK's national quality platform. The project thereby makes a substantial contribution to an efficient, high-quality and patient-centred healthcare system.

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