[Changes in the provision and utilization of health care in German primary care practices during the COVID-19 pandemic - A survey of patients in three federal states]. / Veränderungen in der Bereitstellung und Inanspruchnahme der Gesundheitsversorgung in deutschen Hausarztpraxen während der COVID-19-Pandemie ­ eine Befragung von Patient*innen in drei Bundesländern.

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic general practitioners (GP) practice teams were temporally confronted with major challenges which were accompanied by changes in practice organization and service provision. So far, little has been known about the views of patients who visited the GP practice for other than COVID-related reasons with regard to provision and use of GP services, the adjustments in the practice and the work of the practice team members. METHODS: The patient survey is a sub-study of the mixed-methods study VeCo-Praxis (GP healthcare for patients not suffering from COVID during the Corona pandemic) of the research practice network RESPoNsE (Research Practice Network East), which was conducted in the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Thuringia. The questionnaire-based survey was carried out among patients who visited their GP practice in November 2022. The topics covered in the survey were developed by two focus groups consisting of 13 members of the RESPoNsE patient advisory board. The questionnaire was developed and piloted in a participatory approach with the RESPoNsE Patient Advisory Board. The results were analyzed descriptively using SPSS and discussed with the advisory board. RESULTS: 1,405 questionnaires from 37 practices were analyzed. 97% of respondents felt that the treatment they received at their GP practice during the COVID-19 pandemic was good. For the vast majority, appointments and acute consultations, prescriptions, laboratory tests, discussions of diagnostic results, routine follow-up check-ups and health checks were available to a sufficient extent. From the patients' perspective, the practices have successfully adapted to the challenges caused by COVID-19. Overall, the patients' trust in and their appreciation of the work of the practice staff have increased since the pandemic. Patients stated that GP practices should continue hygiene procedures, such as wearing a mask or keeping physical distance, in the future. DISCUSSION: Despite multiple reports of a significant decline in both provision and utilization of standard care in GP practices during the pandemic, our survey showed that the majority of patients felt that they received adequate GP care and were highly satisfied. The results should be interpreted against the background of possible selection bias. CONCLUSION: In this survey, GP patients were predominantly appreciative of GP care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The patients' assessment of the provision and use of GP services during the pandemic complements the corresponding perspective of GPs and medical practice assistants.

[Use of support and relief services for parents of children in need of care: Results of the FamBer observational study]. / Inanspruchnahme von Unterstützungs- und Entlastungsdiensten für Eltern pflegebedürftiger Kinder.

Use of support and relief services for parents of children in need of care: Results of the FamBer observational study Abstract: Background: Parents of children in need of care in Germany can fall back on a variety of relief and support services. So far, however, there has been a lack of systematic studies and quantitative data on the use of such offers at the individual level of parents and other legal guardians. Aim: The study on the compatibility of care and work for parents with a child in need of care (FamBer; funding: Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany) examines the knowledge of relief and support services, their use and the perceived benefits of these offers. Methods: 1070 parents answered a multidimensional online questionnaire in the cross-sectional study that was developed based on the Kindernetzwerk Study 2 from 2013 and the German socio-economic panel (SOEP). In addition to descriptive analyses, group comparisons were carried out using Chi2, Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis H tests. Results: 43 to 58% of parents are aware of the respective legal options for taking time off work, but only very few families make use of them. The other support offers differ significantly in terms of the level of knowledge and utilization; these vary primarily with the education of the parents and the care needs of the child. They assessed the used services for consultation and advice as only little helpful. Conclusions: Due to the study design, we cannot rule out that the findings are also based on personal characteristics of the parents and their living conditions. Nevertheless, a large number of problems (e.g. a lack of information, low using, ineffectiveness of support services) can be identified that need to be overcome.

[Social inequality in home care: A scoping review on the impact of socio-economic resources on home care arrangements]. / Soziale Ungleichheit in der häuslichen Pflege: ein Scoping-Review zum Einfluss sozioökonomischer Ressourcen auf die Gestaltung häuslicher Pflegearrangements.

INTRODUCTION: Inequalities in long-term home care are still rarely considered in the discourse on health inequalities, although there is reason to assume that opportunities for a successful home care arrangement are not equally distributed among those in need of it. This paper pursues the question how socio-economic resources of people in need of care and their family caregivers are influencing the utilization of care services in Germany. METHODS: A scoping review has been conducted to analyse the current state of research. To identify relevant papers the online databases CINAHL including MEDLINE, PubMed, LIVIVO and Web of Science were searched and supplemented by internet research. According to Bourdieu, the research studies included were arranged in economic, educational and social resources. RESULTS: 29 qualitative and quantitative research papers were included in the analysis. 14 papers represent quantitative research results, nine papers are based on qualitative research. Six further papers are analyses based on an international data record. The utilization of care services increases with the level of income and wealth as well as education. On closer examination of individual care services, however, the evidence is inconsistent and only the so-called 24-hour care service is distinguishable as a care arrangement for high-status groups. A compensation of the lower utilization of professional care by informal support cannot be described in quantitative terms. Caregivers with low income and education levels seem to be more likely to not only provide care but also to provide higher-intensity care. DISCUSSION: Despite increasing research reflected in the literature, the evidence remains incomplete and shows inconsistencies so that a valid statement on the degree of inequalities in care provision is not possible. A conceptual basis for the definition of social inequality in the context of long-term home care is lacking as well as a common understanding of equity in care provision. The perspective of people in need of care and their caregivers has hardly been addressed. CONCLUSION: Home care is not only determined by individual need but seems to be decisively influenced by socio-economic restrictions. For a more targeted approach, further research on the use of care services depending on socio-economic resources is needed, explicitly taking into account the user perspective.

[Changes in the provision of primary care and psychotherapy in Germany during the first two lockdowns in 2020 and 2021: A two-wave survey giving consideration to gender identity and sexual orientation]. / Veränderung hausärztlicher und psychotherapeutischer Versorgung in Deutschland während der ersten beiden COVID-19-Lockdowns 2020 und 2021: Zwei Befragungswellen unter Berücksichtigung von Geschlechtsidentität und sexueller Orientierung.

INTRODUCTION: Measures against the COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions in ambulatory health care in Germany. While the restrictions have been described from claims data, the patients' perspective has been missing. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-, inter- and asexual persons (LGBTIA) might have been particularly affected by these restrictions because of their vulnerability. Thus, our research questions were: 1) How did the restrictions during the pandemic influence primary care and psychotherapy in Germany from the patients' perspective? 2) Are there differences between LGBTIA and cis-heterosexual persons regarding these restrictions? METHODS: We conducted an online survey with two survey waves in March/April 2020 and January/February 2021. Sampling was conducted via multiplicators and via snowball sampling. Amongst others, the survey contained open-ended questions regarding primary care and psychotherapy. From the answers of the first survey wave we constructed quantitative items for the second survey wave. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was conducted, including linear regression with R. RESULTS: 6,784 participants took part in the survey (2,641 in the first survey wave), 5,442 of whom identified as LGBTIA. Categories of changes in primary care were: no health care utilization, no changes in primary care, insecurity regarding primary care, and changes in primary care which could be less frequent utilization, differing procedures or changes in ways of communication. In the second wave, LGBTIA participants rated the worsening of primary care during the pandemic as being more pronounced. Regarding psychotherapy, the change can be described as no change in care, changes in the form of therapy, treatment in emergencies only and a longer break from psychotherapy. There was no different rating by LGBTIA persons compared to cis-heterosexual persons in the second survey wave. Telephone and video consultations were more common in psychotherapy than in primary care. DISCUSSION: LGBTIA persons were oversampled, so the sample included more people from urban areas than the German population. Due to the online survey form, older people were underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general German population. CONCLUSION: With respect to future pandemics general practitioners in primary care must be prepared that psychotherapy might be paused and delayed for some time. Video and telephone consultations should be offered to overcome pandemic-related restrictions in the future. General practitioners should know the gender identity and sexual orientation of their patients in order to proactively address health care barriers.

Is strain due to household and family work associated with a subjective need for rehabilitation among employees? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The gender-specific unequal distribution of paid employment and unpaid household and family work may entail specific implications for women's and men's health and work ability. Medical rehabilitation is provided to maintain or restore work ability and to prevent disability pensioning. However, more than half of the employees who receive disability pension have not utilized any pre-retirement rehabilitation services. The study was conducted to examine associations between strain due to unpaid work and the subjective need for rehabilitation among employees with an increased risk of early retirement due to adverse health conditions. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the "Third German Sociomedical Panel of Employees" (GSPE-III) were analysed. The sample comprises 1,908 German employees aged between 42 and 56 years. Logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for women and men to explore the association between the strain level and the subjective need for rehabilitation. RESULTS: Overall, women reported a higher strain level compared to men. Strain due to housework was not associated with the subjective need for rehabilitation in men and women. However, after adjustment for socio-demographic, work- and health-related characteristics the odds for a subjective need for rehabilitation were three times higher for women (OR=2.9, p <0.001) and two times higher for men (OR=2.0, p=0.027) with a high level of strain due to family work compared to persons with a low strain level. DISCUSSION: This study analysed the strain of unpaid work in the context of the utilization of medical rehabilitation services. Although women report a gender-specific higher strain due to unpaid work, a high strain level due to family work seems to be an additional and independent factor influencing the subjective need for rehabilitation for both genders equally. CONCLUSION: To prevent disability pensioning, more consideration should be given to the strain factors associated with unpaid family work when designing and organising interventions to promote access to medical rehabilitation services.

[Social inequalities in healthcare provision for patients with coronary heart disease: Results from the GEDA (German Health Update) study 2014/2015]. / Soziale Ungleichheiten in der gesundheitlichen Versorgung der koronaren Herzkrankheit. Ergebnisse der GEDA-Studie 2014/2015.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about social inequalities in outpatient long-term care of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Germany. METHODS: Regression analyses are based on the responses of women and men who participated in the national cross-sectional study "German Health update" (GEDA) 2014/2015 and had self-reported CHD (N=920). Outpatient healthcare of CHD was analysed on the basis of the self-reported administration of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs, and the frequency of general practitioner (GP) contacts. RESULTS: On average, respondents visited their GP 7.5 times a year (mean). 46 % did not receive guideline-consistent treatment, i. e. both antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Respondents of lower social status consulted their GP more frequently (approx. two visits per year) than those of higher social status (AME: 1.94; 95% CI 0.56 to 3.31). Regarding treatment with antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs, there were no significant differences for either gender or social status. Nevertheless, the probability that respondents with increased levels of blood lipids or cholesterol took only one or none of the two medications recommended for long-term treatment of CHD was reduced by 54 percentage points (AME: -0,54; 95% CI -0,61 to -0,48). DISCUSSION: There are no social inequalities in the treatment of CHD patients with antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs, but inequalities exist in the frequency of visits to the GP who is more often consulted by the more socially disadvantaged patients. CONCLUSION: With about 7.5 consultations per year, CHD patients visit their general practitioner more often than average, but in about half of these patients the medication supply is less than optimal. This may indicate a deficit in the medical treatment of CHD that cannot be explained by social inequalities. A possible starting point for improving healthcare, especially for patients without other risk factors, is to focus more strongly on a guideline-based approach to prescribing medication for CHD patients.

[One Size Fits All? Using Psychosocial Risk Assessments to Predict Service Use in Early Intervention and Prevention]. / One size fits all? Die Eignung von Risikoscreenings zur Prognose der Inanspruchnahme von Angeboten der Frühen Hilfen.

One Size Fits All? Using Psychosocial Risk Assessments to Predict Service Use in Early Intervention and Prevention Early intervention and prevention services offer a variety of programs. At the same time, program participants differ widely in their service use. This study aims at investigating the prognostic validity of psychosocial risk assessments in predicting the participants' service use. The psychosocial risk assessment "Heidelberg Stress Scale" is used to predict aspects of service use (dosage, attrition, intervention content, working relationship). Service use data of N = 1.514 participants of a home-visiting program will be analyzed via Machine-Learning-Algorithms. Dosage and intervention content can be predicted with psychosocial risk assessments. The classification strength is small. Global and continuous risk scales have a prognostic advantage over single categorical risk items. Financial burden has a significant influence on every aspect of service use. Psychosocial risk assessments provide additional information that can support intervention planning. Yet, these instruments should be supplemented by additional diagnostic information.

[It's either all or nothing: Utilization of care and relief services amongst people with dementia. A cohort study based on administrative data]. / "Ganz oder gar nicht?" Nutzung der Betreuungs- und Entlastungsleistungen durch Menschen mit Demenz in der Pflegekarriere. Eine Kohortenstudie auf Basis von GKV-Routinedaten.

OBJECTIVE: Caregiving often is a demanding task for family caregivers of people with dementia. In order to provide relief for caregivers and stabilize informal care, care and relief services for people with dementia and their caregivers were established by the German long-term care insurance ("Pflegeversicherung"). It is unknown how many people with dementia have used the additional care and relief services over the time and which characteristics predict permanent utilization. METHODS: The analysis is based on administrative data. 2,887 people with prevalent dementia were followed from 2012 to 2015. The data was analyzed descriptively and by logistic regression. RESULTS: About a quarter of the observed people with dementia continuously used the additional care and relief services from 2012 to 2015. 22.8% used them since 2013, while nearly a quarter made no use whatsoever of the services during the observation period. The probability of using care and relief services is higher when using an outpatient nursing service in comparison to family care and when the care level has gone up in the year before use. CONCLUSION: Permanent utilization of care and relief services seems to be based on need in most cases. It could also be a learning effect or supplier-induced when simultaneously using an outpatient nursing service. People who discontinued service use or never used it could provide further information in order to adjust the additional care and relief services program.

[Sociodemographic and health-related determinants of health care utilisation and access to primary and specialist care: Results of a nationwide population survey in Germany (2006-2016)]. / Soziodemografische und gesundheitsbezogene Merkmale der Inanspruchnahme und des Zugangs zu haus- und fachärztlicher Versorgung ­ Ergebnisse einer deutschlandweiten Bevölkerungsbefragung von 2006 bis 2016.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to identify systematic differences due to sociodemographic and health-related determinants in outpatient healthcare utilisation and access in Germany for the period from 2006 to 2016. The study focuses on frequent users and those reporting particularly long wait times for their physician appointments, and it contributes to assessing the level of health equity in Germany. METHODS: The investigation draws on nine population surveys conducted by the German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (NASHIP), which interviewed 42,925 respondents aged 18 and above. "Frequent users" were operationalised as those respondents who reported more than ten consultations with outpatient general practitioners (GPs) and specialists (SPs) in the preceding twelve months. Respondents who experienced wait times of more than one month for their last doctor appointment were categorised as "very long wait times". Sociodemographic determinants included age, gender, educational and occupational status, population and region of place of residence, as well as type of health insurance of the respondents. Health-related factors were self-assessed health status and reason for last medical consultation. Statistical analyses were conducted using bivariate and multivariate techniques (logistic regression). RESULTS: Utilisation: Frequent users of GPs and SPs are predominantly respondents in poor health, retirees and younger persons (18 to 34 years of age). Furthermore, people with a lower educational background consult their GPs significantly more often than people with higher levels of education. Also, patients with statutory health insurance coverage visit GPs more frequently than those having private health insurance, whereas the opposite holds true for SP consultations. Access: Very long wait times for GP and SP appointments were most often experienced by respondents who consult GPs and SPs for preventive medical check-ups or health screenings, have statutory health insurance, live in eastern Germany and who are above 60 years of age. In addition, people with higher levels of education are significantly more likely to experience wait times for SP appointments of more than one month than people with a lower educational background. The proportion of frequent users as well as of those reporting very long wait times for SP appointments has increased in Germany over the period examined. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that a high frequency of GP and SP consultations is primarily associated with self-assessed poor health, indicating that prioritisation is based on clinical need. In order to ensure the same needs-based prioritisation in the access to outpatient healthcare, regulatory measures are required to decrease wait times of more than one month for SP appointments, with a special focus on people with statutory health insurance coverage, residents of eastern Germany and the elderly.

[Barriers to treatment-seeking among German veterans: expert interviews]. / Barrieren der Inanspruchnahme von Psychotherapie ehemaliger Soldatinnen und Soldaten der Bundeswehr (Veteranen). Eine Expertenbefragung.

BACKGROUND: The number of service members of the German armed forces suffering from deployment-related mental health problems is increasing. However, less than 50 % seek professional help, and there is little knowledge about the barriers to treatment-seeking. METHODS: The article presents data gathered by the Delphi technique combined with focus groups from 55 health service experts regarding the evaluated barriers to treatment-seeking among German veterans. FINDINGS: According to the interviewed experts, major contextual barriers to treatment-seeking include: 1) intimidating processes and structures, 2) actual stigmatization and discrimination, and 3) health service deficits. Major individual barriers to treatment were: 4) health beliefs, self-perception and fear of stigmatization, and 5) avoidance behavior related to psychopathology. In addition, there is another both contextual and individual barrier, i.e., 6) information deficits. INTERPRETATION: Individual internal factors like the soldiers' self-perception and their fear of being stigmatized were considered important barriers to treatment-seeking. The experts' opinion about avoidance behavior related to psychopathology and deficits in health services and information coincides with international findings. Compared to research in other countries, actual stigmatization and discrimination were regarded to be an important barrier in itself. According to our findings daunting/intimidating processes and structures like time-consuming and complex expert medical reports rather seem to be a German phenomenon.

[Crisis Intervention in a Health Care Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry]. / Krisenintervention in einer Versorgungsklinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie.

Crisis Intervention in a Health Care Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry In the past years the pressure in society and psychological problems in Germany have risen up. This can especially be verified by the great influx of utilization of child and adolescent psychiatric clinics through the admission of crisis. In this connection social disadvantaged female adolescents with a low socio-economic status, students of the secondary school, children in care and the ones whose parents have to manage their upbringing alone are preferentially affected. These developments require a fast adaptation of the supply system to the transformed demands, in particular in terms of outpatient treatment, as well as a closely and structured cooperation between the youth welfare and child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in their function as systems of help. In the script statistical data and adaptive approaches of a supply department of child and adolescent psychiatry are presented.

[Regulations of sickness certification as a factor for increased health care utilization in Germany]. / Arbeitsunfähigkeitsregelungen als Faktor für Inanspruchnahme ärztlicher Versorgung in Deutschland.

BACKGROUND: In Germany, utilization of ambulatory health care is high compared to other countries. Classical models of health care utilization cannot sufficiently explain these differences. The aim of this study was to explore relevant factors which can explain the higher health care utilization in Germany. In this article, we focus on regulations regarding sickness certification as a potential factor. METHODS: An explorative qualitative study design. We conducted episodic interviews with 20 patients in Germany and 20 patients in Norway and participant observation in four primary care practices each. Additionally, we conducted a context analysis of relevant health care system related factors which emerged during the study. Qualitative data analysis was done by thematic coding in the framework of grounded theory. RESULTS: The need for a sickness certificate was an important reason for encounter in Germany, especially regarding minor illnesses. Sickness certification is a societal topic. GPs play a double role regarding sickness certification, both as the patients' advocate and as an expert witness for social security services. In Norway, longer periods of self-administered sickness certification and more differentiated possibilities of sickness certification have been introduced successfully. CONCLUSION: Our results point to regulations regarding sickness certification as a relevant factor for higher health care utilization in Germany. In pilot studies, the effect of extended self-certification of sickness and part-time sickness certification should be further assessed.

[Size and type of frequent use of ambulatory medical care among the elderly population in Germany: a study based on statutory health insurance data]. / Umfang und Typologie der Häufignutzung in der vertragsärztlichen Versorgung der älteren Bevölkerung - Eine Analyse auf der Basis von GKV-Abrechnungsdaten.

BACKGROUND: The authors report the results of a study on frequent attenders in ambulatory medical care among elderly people in Germany and on the factors related to frequent attendance such as age, sex, multi-morbidity and long-term care dependency. METHODS: The study was based on claims data of all policy holders aged 65 and over of a statutory health insurance company operating nationwide in Germany in 2004 (n=123,224). Utilisation was analysed by the number of contacts with practices of physicians working in the ambulatory medical care sector and by the number of different practices contacted. The criteria for frequent attendance included greater than or equal to 50 contacts and/or greater than or equal to 10 different practices contacted and/or greater than or equal to 3 practices of the same discipline contacted within one year. Descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression were used. RESULTS: 19% of the elderly were identified as frequent attenders, which corresponds to some 3.5 million people in Germany. Two main types of frequent attendance were identified: one is characterised by very many contacts, old age, frequent presence of multi-morbidity, and/or long-term care dependency. The other type is the younger, less frequently multi-morbid attender who is considerably less often dependent on long-term care, and characterised by large numbers of contacted practices and/or practices of the same discipline. CONCLUSION: Frequent attendance is due to several factors. The problem of frequent attendance needs further research that is not exclusively based on claims data. We found a high rate of frequent attendance. Further research should clarify if this is to the benefit of elderly people.