[Management of a mass casualty incident according to the recommendations of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance and the principles of the Terror and Disaster Surgical Care Concept in a regional trauma center]. / Management eines Massenanfalls von Verletzten nach den Empfehlungen des Bundesamtes für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe und den Prinzipien des Terror-and-Disaster-Surgical-Care-Konzepts in einem regionalen Traumazentrum.

Dealing with a mass casualty incident presents many challenges in the clinical and preclinical situation. There are various systems and structures to address this problem. In the present work, the management of the train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen on 3 June 2022 is evaluated with the aid of the recommendations of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief for hospital alarm and deployment planning as well as the recommendations from the terror and disaster surgical care training of the German Academy of Trauma Surgery and the findings are presented from the perspective of a regional trauma center. It also discusses which key factors in the present case have proved to be successful and in which areas there is still a need for improvement.

[Health literacy and nonurgent emergency department visits]. / Gesundheitskompetenz und Notfallverhalten.

Background: The number of patients with nonurgent health conditions using emergency departments (ED) is growing steadily. It is unclear however whether this is associated with limited health literacy of patients. Objectives: This study aims to explore the health literacy of patients with nonurgent conditions in an ED, compare it with the health literacy of the general population and identify relationships between health literacy and patients' views on emergency care. Materials and methods: A total of 448 patients with nonurgent conditions participated in a cross-sectional survey in the ED of a German university hospital. Results: The study shows that health literacy of nonurgent emergency patients is significantly lower than the health literacy of the German population. Patients with lower levels of health literacy perceive higher treatment urgency, are significantly less informed about treatment options other than the ED and are more likely to visit the ED or the outpatient walk-in practice for a second opinion after having seen their general practitioner. Conclusion: The results indicate a need for action to improve health literacy in Germany. In particular, current structural changes in emergency care in Germany have to be considered.

Development of the competency-based medical curriculum for the new Augsburg University Medical School.

Aim: With the resolution from April 28, 2014, the Bavarian state government in Germany decided to found a new medical school at Augsburg University, thereby requiring the development of a competency-based medical curriculum. Methods: Two interdisciplinary groups developed a spiral curriculum (following Harden) employing the model of Thumser-Dauth & Öchsner. The curriculum focuses on specifically defined competencies: medical expertise, independent scientific reasoning, argumentation and scholarship, as well as communication skills. Results: The spiral curriculum was developed as a hybrid curriculum. Its modular structure incorporates the mandatory subjects required by the German regulations for medical licensure (Approbationsordnung) into organ- and system-centered blocks which are integrated both horizontally and vertically. Basic preclinical sciences are covered in the blocks "Movement," "Balance" and "Contact." The clinical sciences are organized according to six pillars (conservative medicine, surgical medicine, men's-women's-children's medicine, the senses, the nervous system and the mind, and general medicine) which students revisit three times each over the course of the program. A longitudinal clinical course incorporates interdisciplinary education. A particular focus is on scientific education encompassing a longitudinal course in the sciences (including interdisciplinary classes with other university departments), block practicums, and two scientific projects. Conclusion: It is not only the degree of integration und intensity of the Augsburg University undergraduate medical degree program, but also its targeted advancement of academic, social and communication skills that have not yet been realized to such an extent elsewhere in Germany. On July 8, 2016, the German Council of Science and Humanities unanimously gave this concept a positive evaluation. Future research will examine and evaluate the Augsburg medical curriculum and the impact of the new medical school on the hospital and university in Augsburg.