Quality Review of the Evaluation of the University Outpatient Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy

The University Outpatient Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr Christoph Pieh) conducts an ongoing evaluation of its treatment outcomes, as contractually agreed with the funding body. The evaluation constitutes a self-evaluation: those responsible for the programme assess their own activities, placing them in a dual role. In self-evaluations, vested interests may bias the assessment and compromise the credibility of the findings — particularly when results are intended for external use such as quality assurance reports or scientific publications. The quality review examines whether the ongoing evaluation yields methodologically robust results and meets the relevant evaluation standards. The guiding questions address documentation and transparency, the methodological rigour of the study design (prospective pre-post study without a control group), and compliance with the DeGEval standards, with particular attention to the self-evaluation context. Methodologically, the quality review draws on a document analysis and two complementary appraisal approaches: an assessment of study quality using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Pre-Post Studies Without Control Group, and an assessment of evaluation quality based on the DeGEval Standards for Evaluation. The findings from both approaches are integrated in a narrative synthesis and presented in a brief report, including prioritised recommendations for action where applicable. The quality review provides the department with an independent, evidence-based assessment that strengthens the credibility of evaluation findings for external stakeholders and supports the further development of evaluation practice.