[Documentation Time and Effort and Associated Resources for Patients with Primary Breast Cancer from Diagnosis to End of Follow-Up - Results of a Multicentre Validation]. / Dokumentationsaufwand und verbundene Ressourcen bei Patientinnen mit einem primären Mammakarzinom - von der Primärdiagnose bis zur Abschluss der Nachsorge - Ergebnisse der multizentrischen Erhebung.

INTRODUCTION: Tumour documentation is essential for quality assurance of oncological therapies and as a source of reliable information about the in- and outpatient care. The documentation effort and the associated resource consumption were analysed for the example of breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The different steps in the care of patients with primary breast cancer in a standardised disease situation were defined from initial diagnosis to the end of the follow-up. After the pilot phase, a multicentre validation (n=7 centres) was performed with the support of the Federal Ministry of Health. The documentation time points were horizontally collected and analysed with regard to amount, duration and personnel expenses. RESULTS: 57% of the documentation costs are caused by the physicians. Regarding the different centres, documentation costs were calculated between € 352.82 and € 1 084.08 per patient from diagnosis to completion of aftercare. Non-certified centres had a reduced documentation effort and thus lower costs. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the need for a reduction of the documentation effort - particularly for physicians - the most expensive profession in the health system. A quality improvement is expected from the certification with its special requirements. In this context, there is a justified demand for an adequate remuneration of the documentation effort for certified centres. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce the number of variables for quality assurance and to define them centrally. A comprehensive multi-disciplinary documentation should be achieved. Investments in a single data set and interface enhancements of existing documentation systems should be realised.

[Plea for a strengthening of clinical social medicine]. / Plädoyer für eine Stärkung der klinischen Sozialmedizin.

Social medicine is concerned--in the midst of a constantly changing society--with the social and economic conditions that influence health, disease and medical care. A comprehensive medical care therefore requires medical doctors who, beyond the biomedical issues, realize diseases in the context of the social needs of the individual person and systematically include these in their prevention, treatment and rehabilitation concepts.The system of social security, particularly the health care system, depends on medical doctors' expertise in helping patients for the appropriate use of services from the system of social security. According to the German professional education regulations for doctors the additional specialization in "social medicine" also includes the competence for "assessment of the nature and extent of health disorders and their classification in the framework of social security systems". This judgment is one part of the tasks of the Medical Services belonging to the various branches of the social security system. It is also provided in practice by medical doctors with competence in social medicine working in acute care facilities.