[Heart failure care in a digitalized future : A discourse on resource-sparing structures and self-determined patients]. / Herzinsuffizienzversorgung in einer digitalisierten Zukunft : Ein Diskurs zu ressourcenschonenden Strukturen und selbstbestimmten Patienten.

Digital health solutions, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac human genetics are currently being validated in cardiac healthcare pathways. They show promising approaches for improving existing healthcare structures in the future by strengthening the focus on predictive, preventive and personalized medicine. In addition, the accompanying use of digital health applications will become increasingly more important in the future healthcare, especially in patients with chronic diseases. In this article, the authors describe a case of chronic heart failure (HF) as an example to provide an overview of how digitalized healthcare can be efficiently designed across sectors and disciplines in the future. Moreover, the importance of a self-determined patient management for the treatment process itself is underlined. Since HF is frequently accompanied by various comorbidities during the course of the disease that are often recognized only after a delay, the necessity for a timely simultaneous and preventive treatment of multiple comorbidities in cardiovascular diseases is emphasized. Against this background the currently separately applied disease management programs (DMP) are critically questioned. The development of a holistic DMP encompassing all indications for the treatment of chronic diseases may pave the way to a more efficient medical care system.

[Debora: Acceptance and Feasibility of Pain Competence and Depression Prevention Training in Multidisciplinary Inpatient Rehabilitation]. / Debora: Akzeptanz und Machbarkeit eines Schmerzkompetenz- und Depressionspräventionstrainings in der VMO.

There is an increasing need for patient education in chronic low back pain with mental comorbidity. The present study was carried out in the setting of multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation and investigated the acceptance and feasibility of the Debora pain competence and depression prevention training comparing an intervention group with a control group. While patients of the intervention group took part in the pain competence and depression prevention training, patients of the control group only participated in pain competence training. METHOD: A total of 3 partial studies were used for formative evaluation. The triangulative design consisted of problem-centered interviews and focus groups with rehabilitation patients as well as focus groups with experts. The interviews were transcribed, anonymized, and content analysis was performed. RESULTS: The training was well accepted and feasible from the perspective of the patients and experts. The therapists had a significant influence on the participants' satisfaction. Suggestions for improvement focused on developing extensions of the pain and stress management aspects and on discussing individual problems. Compared to the intervention group and independent of depression, the control group assessed the training as being less satisfatory and showed poor group coherence. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the formal evaluation support the combined implementation of the Debora pain competence and depression prevention training program and suggest its long-term establishment in multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation.

[Validity of the Mainz Pain Staging System for chronic low back pain : A cross-sectional analysis of inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation]. / Validität des Mainzer Stadienmodells bei Rückenschmerzen : Eine Querschnittsanalyse in der stationären verhaltensmedizinisch orthopädischen Rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Psychological factors have an influence on the manifestation as well as on the maintenance of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and are increasingly considered in research. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the validity and clinical relevance of the Mainz Pain Staging System (MPSS) to replicate previous study results in the setting of inpatient multidisciplinary orthopedic rehabilitation (MOR). METHODS: In this multicenter study, psychological and pain-related parameters were investigated among 1012 patients with nonspecific CLBP (ICD-10: M51/53/54) at the beginning of an inpatient MOR stratified according to the stage of pain in the MPSS (I-III). In addition, frequency distributions of scores in the clinical range for depression, anxiety, somatization, and pain-related self-efficacy were determined as a function of pain chronification. RESULTS: Stage of pain had a significant effect on all psychological and pain-related parameters in the expected direction. Alongside patients with stage III, patients with stage II showed higher levels of impairment regarding psychological factors. Furthermore, patients with stage III often had higher clinical scores than expected for depression, anxiety, and somatization. CONCLUSION: These results confirm the validity and clinical relevance of the MPSS. Moreover, the psychological burden of the patients increased with the stage of pain. Therefore, psychological treatments are required that are tailored to patients' needs. Thus, measurement of the MPSS and psychological diagnostic assessments are recommended.

[Influence of Social Status on the Success of Rehabilitation among Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain - Results of a 2-year Follow-up after Inpatient Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation]. / Der Einfluss der sozialen Lage auf den Rehabilitationserfolg von Rehabilitanden mit chronischem Rückenschmerz.

PURPOSE: Social inequality in medical rehabilitation is receiving increasing attention. The present study examined the impact of the social status on the long-term effectiveness of the pain competence and depression prevention training "Debora" among patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in an inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation. METHODS: The control group study with cluster-block randomization investigated the long-term changes in pain self-efficacy, psychological burden, functional capacity, and subjective work ability among 394 patients with non-specific CLBP depending on the condition (control group, CG: pain competence training vs. intervention group, IG: additional depression prevention training) and the social status (lower, middle vs. upper class; according to Deck [1]). The data were collected at five sample points: pre (t0), post (t1), 6-(t2), 12-(t3) and 24-month follow-up (t4). Multi- or univariate repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted per protocol (pp). In a second step, results should be confirmed by multiple imputations (MI; N=1089). RESULTS: In general, patients of the lower class showed significantly worse values in depressive symptoms, functional capacity, and subjective work ability compared to the upper class. In addition, positive long-term effects could not be found among patients of the lower class. In contrast, patients of the middle and upper class improved, especially in the IG. Furthermore, only the IG showed long-term improvements in subjective work capacity. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the influence of the social status on the psychophysical health. Moreover, social inequality in long-term success of rehabilitation of CLBP was suggested, which could be mediated by health literacy. Therefore, these aspects should be taken into account already in the conception and especially in the application of psychological group trainings in inpatient rehabilitation.

[Position paper on required competencies of nonphysician employees in telemedicine centers]. / Positionspapier zum Anforderungsprofil von nichtärztlichen Assistenzkräften in Telemedizinzentren.

The non-physician employees in telemedicine centers (TMC) play a decisive role in the care and treatment of patients with heart failure. For this reason, a holistic profile consisting of professional and methodological as well as social and personal competences is necessary, which should be built up or promoted in corresponding training concepts. This position paper underlines the urgency of appropriate and standardized further training of non-physician employees for quality assurance in TMCs and summarizes the requirements for the additional qualification of a telemedical assistant across the board.