KKH survey: Fear of hospital is currently higher than in the Corona years

19.09.2022 11:10

In the past two years of the pandemic, people have placed particular trust in the doctors in German hospitals. But according to a current forsa survey commissioned by KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, the fear of a hospital stay in Germany is increasing again. The KKH points this out on World Patient Safety Day. Currently, one in four Germans is worried about treatment in hospital. Women express hospital fears more often than men.

Before the pandemic, 29 percent of survey participants had concerns about an inpatient stay. In the Corona years 2020 and 2021, when many operations were canceled or postponed, only 17 and 19 percent, respectively, were afraid of a hospital stay.

“Our health system has proven itself during the corona pandemic. The care of Covid sufferers has shown that the clinics are able to react flexibly and quickly and work together,” sums up Dr. Wolfgang Matz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the KKH. “But despite the immense sums we spend on financing, not everything works smoothly in inpatient care. That's why reforms are more than necessary. Many patients may now be aware of this.”

Currently, almost every second worried person (47 percent) bases their fears of a hospital stay on the grounds that they have heard bad things. Almost as many (46 percent) have had bad experiences themselves. During the Corona years 2020 and 2021, however, only a third attributed hospital fears to negative reports about inpatient care. “We absolutely have to take the fears and experiences of patients seriously,” says Wolfang Matz and demands: “It is now the task of politicians to make the hospital landscape fit for the future. We can no longer accept the state’s investment backlog.”

Safe medication: 40 percent of those surveyed know about problems

Patients have an opportunity to increase their own safety, especially when it comes to taking medication, as the current forsa survey also shows. This year's World Patient Safety Day "Stand up for patient safety - safe medication", which was launched by the Aktionsbündnis für Patientsicherheit eV, is also dedicated to this topic. According to the KKH survey, eight percent of all survey participants are worried about medication intolerances during a hospital stay. Four out of ten respondents had problems with outpatient or inpatient medication prescriptions in the past five years. One in four respondents has forgotten to take medication, 15 percent have experienced severe side effects, and six percent have even been prescribed the wrong medication.

Dr. Sonja Hermeneit, doctor at KKH, explains: “The example of medication shows how important doctor-patient communication and shared decision-making, i.e. jointly weighing up and deciding on treatment options, are. For the success of the therapy, it is crucial that those affected actively and consciously decide to take medication. They can only work if they are taken correctly and regularly.” Open discussions about concerns and side effects are also important. In this way, countermeasures can be taken in good time and an alternative preparation can perhaps be given. “The nationwide medication plan to which those with statutory health insurance are entitled should also be used more,” appeals the KKH doctor. “It provides a good overview and contributes to greater drug therapy safety.” Digitalization, for example in the form of automated medication checks, can also increase security.

Patient safety flyer with Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen explains

In order to dispel concerns and doubts before a hospital stay, it makes sense to obtain detailed information in advance. “If you understand the treatment process well and are attentive in the hospital, you can do a lot to ensure your own safety,” says Sonja Hermeneit. The patient safety flyer, which the KKH has prepared with a foreword by the doctor and presenter Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen published: kkh.de/content/dam/kkh/documents/flyer-broschueren/patientensicherheit.pdf

About the study design:
On behalf of the KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, the market research institute forsa conducted a representative survey of 1,002 people between the ages of 18 and 70 across the country from August 1st to 4th, 2022 on the topic of worries regarding a hospital stay. In the previous year's surveys in July 2019, August 2020 and July 2021, 1,002, 1,001 and 1,376 people were representatively surveyed.