The outcome quality of medical rehabilitation is evaluated often by "Patient Reported Outcomes" (PROs). It is examined to what extent these PROs are corresponding with "hard" or "objective" outcomes such as payments of contributions to social insurance. The "rehabilitation QM outcome study" includes self-reports of patients as well as data from the Rehabilitation Statistics Database (RSD) of the German pension insurance Baden-Wurttemberg. The sample for the question posed includes N=2 947 insured who were treated in 2011 in 21 clinics of the "health quality network" and who were either employed or unemployed at the time of the rehabilitation application (e. g. the workforce or labour force group, response rate: 55%). The sample turned out widely representative for the population of the insured persons. PROs and payment of contributions to pension insurance clearly correspond. In the year after the rehabilitation improved vs. not improved rehabilitees differed clearly with regard to their payments of contributions. The results support the validity of PROs. For a comprehensive depiction of the outcome quality of rehabilitation PROs and payments of contributions should be considered supplementary.

Patient with a migration background should receive more information about psychosomatic disease models and different treatment methods prior to their rehabilitation therapy.

Aftercare over the telephone seems to be an economical approach to support patients in implementing healthcare recommendations made at discharge after inpatient rehabilitation.

The results point to the fact that psychosomatic rehabilitation has positive effects on functioning. While planning the therapy functioning as well as symptom severity should be considered. Controlled studies are needed.

No abstract