[Quality certificate "Geriatrie" from the care scientist's perspective].

The current version of the quality certificate "Geriatrie" pretends to describe the specific content of high quality care in geriatric clinics. Besides methodological deficits, it also has deficits in the systematic choice of the quality items, including a lack of the perspectives of patients and their relatives. Thus, the certificate is actually an additional piece of paper with legitimatory function than an instrument to give quality orientation to older patients and their relatives or to insurance companies which pay for the care. Further development and the clarification of its aims are suggested.