Association of Household Deprivation, Comorbidities, and COVID-19 Hospitalization in Children in Germany, January 2020 to July 2021.

Importance: Adults in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions have elevated risks of a severe course of COVID-19, but it is unclear whether this holds true for children. Objective: To investigate whether young people from disadvantaged households have a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and whether differences were associated with comorbidities that predispose children to severe courses. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cohort study included all children and adolescents (aged 0-18 years) who were enrolled in a statutory health insurance carrier in Germany during the observation period of January 1, 2020, to July 13, 2021. Logistic regressions were calculated to compare children from households with and without an indication of poverty. Age, sex, days under observation, nationality, and comorbidities (eg, obesity, diabetes) were controlled for to account for explanatory factors. Exposures: Disadvantage on the household level was assessed by the employment status of the insurance holder (ie, employed, long- or short-term unemployed, low-wage employment, economically inactive). Socioeconomic characteristics of the area of residence were also assessed. Main Outcomes and Measures: Daily hospital diagnoses of COVID-19 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes U07.1 and U07.2) were recorded. Comorbidities were assessed using inpatient and outpatient diagnoses contained in the insurance records. Results: A total of 688 075 children and adolescents were included, with a mean (SD) age of 8.3 (5.8) years and 333 489 (48.4%) female participants. COVID-19 hospital diagnosis was a rare event (1637 participants [0.2%]). Children whose parents were long-term unemployed were 1.36 (95% CI, 1.22-1.51) times more likely than those with employed parents to be hospitalized. Elevated odds were also found for children whose parents had low-wage employment (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.58). Those living in low-income areas had 3.02 (95% CI, 1.73-5.28) times higher odds of hospitalization than those in less deprived areas. Comorbidities were associated with hospitalization, but their adjustment did not change main estimates for deprivation. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, children who had parents who were unemployed and those who lived in low-income areas were at higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. This finding suggests that attention must be paid to children with SARS-CoV-2 from vulnerable families and closer monitoring should be considered. A number of explanatory factors, including comorbidities, were taken into account, but their analysis yielded no clear picture about underlying processes.

Improving the continuity and coordination of ambulatory care through feedback and facilitated dialogue-a study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial to evaluate the ACD study (Accountable Care in Germany).

BACKGROUND: Patients in Germany are free to seek care from any office-based physician and can always ask for multiple opinions on a diagnosis or treatment. The high density of physicians and the freedom to choose among them without referrals have led to a need for better coordination between the multiple health professionals treating any given patient. The objectives of this study are to (1) identify informal networks of physicians who treat the same patient population, (2) provide these physicians with feedback on their network and patients, using routine data and (3) give the physicians the opportunity to meet one another in facilitated network meetings. METHODS: The Accountable Care Deutschland (ACD) study is a prospective, non-blinded, cluster-randomised trial comprising a process and economic evaluation of informal networks among 12,525 GPs and office-based specialists and their 1.9 million patients. The units of allocation are the informal networks, which will be randomised either to the intervention (feedback and facilitated meetings) or control group (usual care). The informal networks will be generated by identifying connections between office-based physicians using complete datasets from the Regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) Physicians in Hamburg, Schleswig Holstein, North Rhine and Westphalia Lip, as well as data from three large statutory health insurers in Germany. The physicians will (a) receive feedback on selected indicators of their own treatment activity and that of the colleagues in their network and (b) will be invited to voluntary, facilitated network meetings by their Regional Association of SHI physicians. The primary outcome will be ambulatory-care-sensitive hospitalisations at baseline, at the end of the 2-year intervention period, and at six months and at 12 months after the end of the intervention period. Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. A pilot study preceded the ACD study. DISCUSSION: Cochrane reviews show that feedback can improve everyday medical practice by shedding light on previously unknown relationships. Providing physicians with information on how they are connected with their colleagues and what the outcomes are of care delivered within their informal networks can help them make these improvements, as well as strengthen their awareness of possible discontinuities in the care they provide. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00020884 . Registered on 25 March 2020-retrospectively registered.

[Higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization for unemployed: an analysis of health insurance data from 1.28 million insured individuals in Germany]. / Erhöhtes Risiko eines COVID-19-bedingten Krankenhausaufenthaltes für Arbeitslose: Eine Analyse von Krankenkassendaten von 1,28 Mio. Versicherten in Deutschland.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Unemployment is related to poverty and is a risk factor for poor health. The present study investigates if unemployment increases the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization for men and women of working age in Germany. METHODS: The study uses the health insurance data from AOK Rhineland/Hamburg (from 1 January 2020 until 18 June 2020) of 1,288,745 persons aged between 18 and 65. Four employment situations are distinguished: (1) regular employment, (2) low-wage employment with social support, (3) unemployment with receipt of unemployment benefit 1, and (4) long-term unemployment with receipt of unemployment benefit 2. COVID-19 hospitalizations are measured on the basis of the ICD codes U07.1 and U07.2 reported by the hospitals. Multiple logistic regression models are calculated (adjusted for age and sex). RESULTS: During the observation period, 1521 persons had hospitalization with COVID-19 as primary or secondary diagnosis. Overall, this corresponds to a rate of 118 cases per 100,000 insured persons. Rates varied by employment situation. Compared with regularly employed persons, the odds ratio for a hospitalization was 1.94 (CI 95%: 1.74-2.15) for long-term unemployment, 1.29 (0.86-1.94) for unemployed, and 1.33 (0.98-1.82) for low-wage employment. CONCLUSION: The results are in line with earlier studies from the USA and Great Britain reporting socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 hospitalization risk. This provides the first empirical support that socioeconomic inequalities in the severity of COVID-19 also exists in Germany.

Implementing Dementia Care Mapping to develop person-centred care: results of a process evaluation within the Leben-QD II trial.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate Dementia Care Mapping implementation in nursing homes. BACKGROUND: Dementia Care Mapping, an internationally applied method for supporting and enhancing person-centred care for people with dementia, must be successfully implemented into care practice for its effective use. Various factors influence the implementation of complex interventions such as Dementia Care Mapping; few studies have examined the specific factors influencing Dementia Care Mapping implementation. DESIGN: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design embedded in a quasi-experimental trial was used to assess Dementia Care Mapping implementation success and influential factors. METHODS: From 2011-2013, nine nursing units in nine different nursing homes implemented either Dementia Care Mapping (n = 6) or a periodic quality of life measurement using the dementia-specific instrument QUALIDEM (n = 3). Diverse data (interviews, n = 27; questionnaires, n = 112; resident records, n = 81; and process documents) were collected. Each data set was separately analysed and then merged to comprehensively portray the implementation process. RESULTS: Four nursing units implemented the particular intervention without deviating from the preplanned intervention. Translating Dementia Care Mapping results into practice was challenging. Necessary organisational preconditions for Dementia Care Mapping implementation included well-functioning networks, a dementia-friendly culture and flexible organisational structures. Involved individuals' positive attitudes towards Dementia Care Mapping also facilitated implementation. Precisely planning the intervention and its implementation, recruiting champions who supported Dementia Care Mapping implementation and having well-qualified, experienced project coordinators were essential to the implementation process. CONCLUSIONS: For successful Dementia Care Mapping implementation, it must be embedded in a systematic implementation strategy considering the specific setting. Organisational preconditions may need to be developed before Dementia Care Mapping implementation. Necessary steps may include team building, developing and realising a person-centred care-based mission statement or educating staff regarding general dementia care. The implementation strategy may include attracting and involving individuals on different hierarchical levels in Dementia Care Mapping implementation and supporting staff to translate Dementia Care Mapping results into practice. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The identified facilitating factors can guide Dementia Care Mapping implementation strategy development.

Care arrangements for community-dwelling people with dementia in Germany as perceived by informal carers - a cross-sectional pilot survey in a provincial-rural setting.

The majority of people with dementia live at home, and informal carers assume the role of key care providers, often supported by formal services. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess home-based care arrangements, to illustrate utilisation of formal services over time and to identify factors associated with perceived stability of the care situation from the informal carer's perspective. A self-administered questionnaire (D-IVA 'Instrument for Assessing Home-Based Care Arrangements for People with Dementia') was developed and distributed in a provincial-rural setting in Germany as a cross-sectional survey. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, unbiased conditional inference trees and thematic analysis for open-ended questions. In total, 84 care arrangements were assessed. The majority of participants were direct relatives of the care-dependent person [mostly adult children (48.8%) or spouses (27.4%)]. Formal services were already sought in the first year after onset of memory problems. The most frequently used formal services were home care nursing services (53.0%), day care (49.4%) and respite care (29.6%), whereas 15.5% did not use any type of formal support. Companion home visit, home care nursing service and day care were used over the longest periods of time. The recruitment strategy used in this study may have recruited persons who were relatively more dependent on their informal carers. In this small sample, carers' perceived stability of the care situation was high, and this was associated with the country of origin and sex of the person with dementia (P = 0.004 and 0.023 respectively). Most care arrangements consisted of a mix of informal and formal services. However, informal carers assumed prime responsibility. The questionnaire D-IVA proved to be suitable. It remains a challenge to further examine factors associated with perceived stability and to explain the phenomenon in its whole complexity. Further research using the D-IVA should consider applying complementing quantitative measures as well as qualitative methods.

Effect evaluation of two types of dementia-specific case conferences in German nursing homes (FallDem) using a stepped-wedge design: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Case conferences for people with dementia and challenging behaviors (e.g., apathy) are recommended as useful tools that enable staff in nursing homes to understand the behavior of people with this type of disease. Understanding peoples' behaviors is the basis for the initiation of targeted interventions to improve the quality of care for people with dementia. Furthermore, case conferences demonstrate positive effects on burnout, dementia-specific burden, and vocational action competence of the staff. The two likely approaches for conducting case conferences include the following: A) using a structured assessment instrument, which guides the staff in understanding the residents' behaviors and B) using a narrative approach in which the staff must identify the reasons for the residents' behaviors in an unstructured manner. Case conferences are a complex intervention, and evaluating their multiple effects is challenging. The aim of this study protocol was to describe a likely solution for evaluating this type of complex intervention using a special cluster randomized trial. METHODS: In this stepped-wedged cluster randomized trial, the two interventions will be sequentially implemented every three months in a group of 12 nursing homes (clusters) with a minimum of 360 residents over 19 months (7 months of intervention for each cluster and follow-up). The primary outcome is the reduction of challenging behavior (measured with the neuropsychiatric inventory-nursing home version [NPI-NH]). Secondary outcomes are residents' quality of life, prescription of psychotropic medications, staff burnout, dementia-related stress, and vocational action competence. The effectiveness of the study will be accompanied by a process evaluation. The primary data will be analyzed using a Bayesian mixed effect model; the secondary data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and mixed effects models. DISCUSSION: The implementation and effect measurement of complex interventions such as case conferences within a cluster randomized trial are challenging (e.g., complex and intensive training, delayed treatment effect). In this study protocol, the methodological advantages and disadvantages of using the stepped wedge design to answer the research questions are discussed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN20203855; registered 10 July 2013.

[ Low-threshold support services for people with dementia from the family carers' viewpoint]. / Niedrigschwellige Betreuungsangebote für Menschen mit Demenz aus Sicht pflegender Angehöriger.

Low-threshold support services are one possibility to relieve family carers with an hourly care for people with dementia. The aim of the study is to invest aspects of low-thresholdness (accessibility, flexibility, reachability, cheapness) with regards to content and to organisation. In an explorative cross-sectional study we collected the estimation according to low-threshold support services of family carers of people with dementia using those services in two regions of North-Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). The analysis was descriptive. The results show, that the 53 family carers estimate the aspects with regards to content mainly with focus on the well-being of the people with dementia as crucial, meanwhile the organisational aspects and the low-thresholdness were less important. Carers' burden was no object. For the family carers and the decision to utilise a low-threshold support service it seems to be import to have a transparent description of the care with a focus on the needs and well-being of the person with dementia.

Measuring the quality of life in mild to very severe dementia: testing the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the German version of the QUALIDEM.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (Qol) is an increasingly used outcome measure in dementia research. The QUALIDEM is a dementia-specific and proxy-rated Qol instrument. We aimed to determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability in residents with dementia in German nursing homes. METHODS: The QUALIDEM consists of nine subscales that were applied to a sample of 108 people with mild to severe dementia and six consecutive subscales that were applied to a sample of 53 people with very severe dementia. The proxy raters were 49 registered nurses and nursing assistants. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability scores were calculated on the subscale and item level. RESULTS: None of the QUALIDEM subscales showed strong inter-rater reliability based on the single-measure Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for absolute agreement ≥ 0.70. Based on the average-measure ICC for four raters, eight subscales for people with mild to severe dementia (care relationship, positive affect, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations, social isolation, feeling at home and having something to do) and five subscales for very severe dementia (care relationship, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations and social isolation) yielded a strong inter-rater agreement (ICC: 0.72-0.86). All of the QUALIDEM subscales, regardless of dementia severity, showed strong intra-rater agreement. The ICC values ranged between 0.70 and 0.79 for people with mild to severe dementia and between 0.75 and 0.87 for people with very severe dementia. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated insufficient inter-rater reliability and sufficient intra-rater reliability for all subscales of both versions of the German QUALIDEM. The degree of inter-rater reliability can be improved by collaborative Qol rating by more than one nurse. The development of a measurement manual with accurate item definitions and a standardized education program for proxy raters is recommended.

Measuring the quality of life of people with dementia in nursing homes in Germany - the study protocol for the Qol-Dem Project.

BACKGROUND: QUALIDEM is a standardized dementia-specific quality of life (Qol) measurement, which was developed and validated in the Netherlands. A German version has been available since 2008. This study protocol describes the design and methodology for the quality of life of people with dementia (Qol-Dem) project. OBJECTIVE: This project aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the German version of the QUALIDEM. METHOD: Due to the lack of both a universal definition of Qol and of standards to verify the validity of Qol measurements, this study is divided into three phases. The aim of the first theoretical phase is the development of a dementia-specific Qol model as a result of a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. The second empirical phase consists of the three following steps: (a) an investigation of the scalability and internal consistency of the measure, (b) an evaluation of the interrater and intrarater reliability, and (c) an extensive evaluation of the validity of the QUALIDEM. The resulting Qol model (phase 1) will be used for the selection of appropriate comparators for validity testing. In the third phase, the QUALIDEM will be adapted, if necessary, based on the knowledge generated in the first two phases. CONCLUSION: The findings of the Qol-Dem project should deliver an accurate assessment of the psychometric properties of the German version of the QUALIDEM. The results will contribute to the further development of the instrument. Furthermore, the results will contribute to the theoretical development of the concept of Qol among people with dementia.

Scalability and internal consistency of the German version of the dementia-specific quality of life instrument QUALIDEM in nursing homes - a secondary data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (Qol) is a widely selected outcome in intervention studies. The QUALIDEM is a dementia-specific Qol-instrument from The Netherlands. The aim of this study is to evaluate the scalability and internal consistency of the German version of the QUALIDEM. METHODS: This secondary data analysis is based on a total sample of 634 residents with dementia from 43 nursing homes. The QUALIDEM consists of nine subscales that were applied to a subsample of 378 people with mild to severe dementia and six consecutive subscales that were applied to a subsample of 256 people with very severe dementia. Scalability, internal consistency and distribution scores were calculated for each predefined subscale using the Mokken scale analysis. RESULTS: In people with mild to severe dementia, seven subscales, care relationship, positive affect, negative affect, restless tense behavior, positive self-image, social relations and feeling at home, were scalable (0.31 ≤ H ≤ 0.65) and internally consistent (Rho ≥ 0.62). The subscales social isolation (H = 0.28) and having something to do (H = 0.18) were not scalable and exhibited insufficient reliability scores (Rho ≤ 0.53). For people with very severe dementia, five subscales, care relationship, positive affect, restless tense behavior, negative affect and social relations, were scalable (0.33 ≤ H ≤ 0.65), but only the first three of these subscales showed acceptable internal consistency (Rho 0.59 - 0.86). The subscale social isolation was not scalable (H = 0.20) and exhibited poor internal consistency (Rho = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: The results show an acceptable scalability and internal consistency for seven QUALIDEM subscales for people with mild to severe dementia and three subscales for people with very severe dementia. The subscales having something to do (mild to severe dementia), negative affect (very severe dementia), social relations (very severe dementia) and social isolation (both versions) produced unsatisfactory results and require revision.