Original article
The global introduction of strict regulations to contain the coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19) pandemic had noticeable consequences for social life. Measures such as reducing indoor seating, social distancing, mandatory mask use and “stay at home” campaigns have drastically reduced interactions between people. These measures proved effective in reducing Covid-19 infection rates and thereby preventing the spread of the virus (1,2). However, several other pathogens, viruses and bacteria, are transmitted from person to person in a similar manner (3,4). This applies, for example, to many pathogens that cause respiratory and intestinal infections (5). During the Covid-19 pandemic, some non-communicable acute illnesses such as stroke and myocardial infarction have been documented less frequently. The behavioral change that resulted from the implementation of strict hygiene rules may also have led to a “real” decrease in the rates of non-Covid-19 infectious diseases (5,6). In other words, the measures taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic may also have influenced the spread of other germs that cause respiratory tract infections (AI) and gastrointestinal infections (GI). For this reason, in the present study the authors wanted to investigate the frequency of these AI and GI during the Covid-19 pandemic using data from a large database that includes anonymized treatment information from general practitioners and pediatricians in Germany.
28.01.2022
The ongoing corona pandemic shows us every day how important up-to-date and valid information is for restoring, maintaining and promoting health. How easy or difficult it is to access health-related information and materials is largely determined by the environments in which we live and work - and thus the so-called organizational health competence (Ernstmann et al. 2020; Schaeffer et al. 2018). In addition to the individual ability to deal with health-related information, organizations and institutions in particular are responsible for supporting the procurement and handling of health information for users (i.e. patients, residents, clients and relatives) (Ernstmann et al . 2020; Schaeffer et al. 2018). For example, the use of foreign words in health-related information makes comprehension more difficult, while texts in simple language are also easier to understand for people with a low educational background or cognitive impairments (Pelikan/Dietscher 2015). Management and specialist staff in particular play an important role in the provision and handling of health-related information for users and their health literacy (DeGani et al. 2020). Acute diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction are documented less frequently. The change in behavior resulting from the implementation of strict hygiene rules may also have led to a “real” decrease in rates of non-Covid-19 infectious diseases (5,6). In other words, the measures taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic may also have affected the spread of other germs that cause respiratory (AI) and gastrointestinal (GI) infections. For this reason, in the present study, the authors wanted to examine the frequency of these AIs and GIs during the Covid-19 pandemic using data from a large database that includes anonymized treatment information from general practitioners and paediatricians in Germany.
28.01.2022
“Complete and sustainably optimized supply chains instead of gaps in care” postulates the strategy paper “Vivantes 2030”, whereby – according to the idea and hope – the health care to be provided will then be provided in a “smart network” of inpatient maximum care competence centers and regional, patient-oriented health centers with integrated emergency and specialist doctor capacities should take place. The long road to get there, the tasks, challenges and also hurdles are described in the title interview of “Monitor Healthcare Research” by Dr. Johannes Danckert, Chairman of the Management Board (acting) Vivantes Network for Health GmbH. He says: “These are not just visions, but packages of measures that are backed up with exact schedules and key figures.”
01.12.2021
Can wearable data reveal psychological well-being based on sleep and activity levels? Can wearables help improve the treatment of depression? These are some of the questions being explored by the "BluesWatch+" study currently being conducted by the Free University of Berlin (FU). Project partners include the Berlin-based IT startup Thryve mHealth Pioneers GmbH and the TK health insurance company, whose members can log into the study using their own wearable device via the company's "Meine TK" platform – "regardless of whether they are feeling well or experiencing psychological distress." The trio's primary goal is to demonstrate "data equivalence," as Paul Burggraf, one of the startup's founders, explained in an interview with "Monitor Versorgungsforschung." This means nothing less than – according to Burggraf – attempting to "prove that the collected wearable data is just as meaningful as data from PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) or clinical trials.".
29.11.2021
Anyone in Germany who thinks of "Big Data" or "Artificial Intelligence" might first think of Prof. Dr. Gerd Antes' "Spurious Correlations" (MVF 05/18). Or perhaps of the often-used and certainly not inaccurate phrase "Garbage in, garbage out," coined by IBM programmer George Fuechsel around 2004. Much has happened since then, arguably more than in all the years before, especially since 2007, when the first iPhone was released: Since then, available knowledge has doubled year after year. A deep insight into what is happening in the healthcare sector has been provided since 2004 by the "BioData World Congress," initially held in Cambridge and later in Basel, which proudly calls itself "Europe's largest congress on Big Data in pharmaceutical development and healthcare." In 2021, the event attracted around 2,000 participants who listened to over 350 speakers, aiming – as the congress announcement stated – to be "part of the story." Strikingly, participants and speakers came from almost all over the world; only a very, very few were from Germany. It would have been worthwhile.
29.11.2021
In a recent statement, the “Interdisciplinary Commission for Pandemic Research” (IKP) of the German Research Foundation (DFG) demands that data for health-related research must be more accessible and easier to link.
29.11.2021
With a concise but succinct four-point program, the German Healthcare Research Network (DNVF) is committed to making the German healthcare system patient-centered and future-proof with evidence-based information. According to the DNVF in a press release, the German healthcare system urgently needs important adjustments through healthcare-related research and development (R&D).
29.11.2021
At the hybrid congress entitled "Results Count! Impulses for Greater Outcome Orientation and Patient Benefit in the Healthcare System," held at the Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus in Berlin, the most important impetus was provided by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Busse (TU Berlin), following the welcoming remarks by the two organizers – Prof. Dr. Alexander Schachtrupp, Managing Director of the B. Braun Foundation, and Dr. hc Helmut Hildebrandt, CEO of OptiMedis AG. His presentation, entitled "From a 'Volume' to a 'Value'-Based Healthcare System," kicked off a four-part parallel workshop experience. This culminated in the panel discussion "From Volume to Value," but was ultimately surpassed by the finale: the collaborative development of the prepared discussion paper for a "Berlin Appeal" for "Greater Outcome Orientation and Patient Benefit in the Healthcare System.".
29.11.2021
Comment by Dr. Michael Brinkmeier, Chairman of the Board of the German Stroke Foundation
29.11.2021
In inzwischen sieben Memoranden des Deutschen Netzwerks Versorgungsforschung wird ein sehr granularer Konzept- und Methoden-Baukasten entwickelt, wobei sich lediglich ein Memorandum – das Vierte – aus dem Jahr 2016 explizit mit der „theoretischen und normativen Fundierung der Versorgungsforschung“ (1) beschäftigt. Die Autoren schließen sich darin der Aussage einer vorausgegangenen DFG-Stellungnahme (2) an, in dem sie unterstreichen, dass in Deutschland „die Entwicklung einer theoretischen Versorgungsforschung“ vernachlässigt worden sei. Wahrscheinlich weil genau das bis heute noch nicht geschehen ist, wird in allen Memoranden, wenn vom eigenen Forschungsfeld die Rede ist, Versorgungsforschung lediglich als Wissenschaftsfeld, jedoch nicht als Wissenschaft bezeichnet. Fehlt etwa ein theoretisches Gerüst?