Scientific evidence as a prerequisite for future-oriented care of internal diseases

15.09.2025 18:23

Internal medicine aims to leverage its creative potential to shape the future of medical challenges, technological innovations, and societal developments. This is the core message of the new strategy paper "Internal Medicine 2025/2030," recently published by the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM).

To further improve the quality of patient care, the professional society calls for a clear focus on scientific evidence, openness to innovation and new technologies, and a stronger interprofessional orientation. It also aims to strengthen science in undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education, expand international collaboration, and preserve internal medicine expertise.

With its new strategy paper, "Internal Medicine 2025/2030," the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM) has laid the foundation for the society's work in the coming years. It outlines current challenges facing medicine and highlights the crucial role internal medicine plays in current developments in research and the healthcare system. "We are witnessing numerous developments in science, technology, society, and politics that are already impacting our research and patient care," says Professor Dr. Georg Ertl, Secretary General of the DGIM, who spearheaded the strategy paper.

The internist and cardiologist from Würzburg cites as examples the increasing multimorbidity of an aging society and the realization that all organ diseases have effects throughout the entire body. The digital transformation with electronic patient records and artificial intelligence, as well as the growing influence of climate change and global networking on medicine, are also topics that the DGIM will be closely monitoring. "As a medical-scientific society that pursues a comprehensive approach to research and care, we must use our expertise to actively shape these future topics in medicine," says Ertl.

According to the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM), all future decisions – both medical and structural health policy-related – must be based on scientific facts. This can prevent over- and under-provision of care. With its "Choosing Wisely" initiative, the DGIM is already making an important contribution in this regard. Furthermore, guidelines must be implemented more bindingly, new measurement parameters for the quality of indications must be developed, and the results must be incorporated into the financing of the system. 

„"The DGIM represents internal medicine in its entirety, from primary care in general practice to the specialized treatment of people with highly complex diseases in university medicine. Its mission is to advance molecular medicine and the application of digital technologies in common diseases as well as rare diseases, and to integrate aspects such as gender and ethnicity into modern diagnostic and treatment algorithms," says Professor Dr. Dr. med. Dagmar Führer-Sakel, Chairwoman of the DGIM.

The endocrinologist and diabetologist from Essen University Hospital sees internal medicine as a driving force for the future of healthcare and a healthier society. "This includes finally prioritizing prevention, focusing on patient-reported outcome measures, and combining interdisciplinarity and interprofessionalism with digital innovations in new structures," says Führer-Sakel. High-quality scientific education and training, along with consistent support for young talent, are essential foundations for this.

To achieve these goals, the professional society relies on close dialogue between science, politics, and society. In addition to promoting young researchers, it also aims to advance new concepts, such as the medical use of AI and other digital technologies, and programs for sustainable medicine. "We take responsibility for the future of our field and want to contribute evidence to societal and political debates within the scope of our scientific capabilities," says Ertl.

You can read the full strategy paper here (with access): https://www.springermedizin.de/die-innere-medizin-2025-2030/51395134