The German Agency for Quality in Medicine (AEZQ) (German: Ärztliches Zentrum für Qualität in der Medizin, ÄZQ), established in 1995 and located in Berlin, co-ordinates healthcare quality programmes with special focus on evidence-based medicine, medical guidelines, patient empowerment, patient safety programs, and quality management.

[citation needed] The organization established the German Clearinghouse for Patient Information[5] in order to promote scientifically based shared decision making[6] in 1999.

[7][8] The development of reliable and consumer information is integral part of this guideline program.

AEZQ established a national web of Critical Incident Reporting Systems.

In 2010 the agency set up a Digital Library for physicians and other interested health professionals and lays - the German Medical eLibrary (www.arztbibliothek.de) - for reinforcement of reliable and unbiased knowledge management in healthcare.