Abstracts by keywords: Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic posed major challenges to science and society worldwide. Given the significant scientific uncertainty, decisions had to be made urgently, justified, and risks clearly communicated. It is almost inevitable that assessments can change over the course of such a situation—and retrospectively—and that mistakes happen. In order to avoid repeating past mistakes and instead learn from them for the future, we believe it is particularly important to closely examine, systematically analyze, and controversially discuss the communication and decision-making processes during the pandemic. With this article, we aim to initiate this discussion and, in our view, once again highlight problematic aspects of pandemic and crisis communication by authorities, politicians, and the media in Germany. We are aware that our view of these processes is naturally subjective. We therefore view the presentation and harmonization of complementary perspectives on crisis communication and management as an iterative process that should be continued with further texts.
03.06.2024
Results of a selective literature search
05.06.2023
Since forms of reimbursed medical treatment have become known, there have also been fears that healthcare professionals will recommend care options to their patients that are not or not yet necessary. This fear becomes explosive in terms of health policy with regard to statutory health insurance, in which the costs and consequential costs for treatments that are not reported or not yet reported are financed in solidarity by all of the insured (Breyer/Zweifel/Kifmann, 2013; Breyer/Buchholz, 2021). As early as 2000/2001, the Advisory Council stated in its report that care with non-indicated services or with services without a sufficiently secured net benefit is tantamount to "medical oversupply". On the other hand, services with only a minor benefit that no longer justifies the costs or are provided in an inefficient (i.e. uneconomical) form are classified as “economic oversupply” (Sachverständigenrat 2000/2001). This form of incorrect care is also associated with incorrectly set incentives, which manifest themselves in low-threshold access conditions and can thus lead to the use of inappropriate levels of care (John/Stillfried 2021).
17.05.2022
Since it was first described in China in December 2019, Covid-19 has spread worldwide and subsequently triggered a severe pandemic (1). To prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed and to slow the spread of the disease, governments around the world have implemented a range of non-pharmaceutical measures of varying intensity (2). In Germany, these measures included closing schools and public playgrounds, and recommending companies to enable and facilitate remote work (3). Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses show the increased prevalence of mental health problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic in adults (4, 5). However, it is not just adults who have been affected by the pandemic measures. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has also impacted the daily lives of children and young people, including the closure of schools and a lack of outdoor activities. A number of Asian and European studies have shown that a significant proportion of children and adolescents suffer from mental health problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic or related measures (6-11).