Health Services Research Group
Research group of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
In addition to biomedical basic research and clinical research, Health Service Research (HSR) represents a third, and increasingly relevant area of healthcare research. The main objective of HSR is to evaluate the medical treatment of specific patient groups under everyday conditions and to develop scientifically based approaches to improve healthcare.
According to the so-called "Input-Throughput-Output-Outcome Model", different levels of medical care are analysed. On the one hand, structural conditions of care (including access to the healthcare system, political framework conditions and their effects on everyday care, design of financing and accounting systems) are subject to HSR (input). Furthermore, organisational and procedural aspects of healthcare provision, such as internal processes in health care institutions (doctors' practices, hospitals, etc.) are evaluated (throughput). In addition, the results of medical care (health-related quality of life, direct and indirect costs of illness, effects on morbidity and mortality, etc.) are evaluated as well.
Superordinate questions
In particular, our research group is concerned with questions of guideline-adherent treatment of patients with mental disorders. The goal of everyday clinical patient care should be a treatment according to the standards of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in order to ensure scientifically sound and high-quality care. Medical guidelines are an important basis of EBM, and high clinical and scientific demands are placed on their development. The effectiveness of a guideline in terms of qualitatively improved and economically justifiable patient care must ultimately be measured by how effectively the guideline recommendations are implemented in everyday care.
Our research group evaluates the implementation of diagnostic and therapeutic guideline recommendations for patients with dementia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). Furthermore, we conduct analyses of routine healthcare data which are carried out in cooperation with health insurance companies and external university institutions and address, among others, pharmaco-epidemiological questions. Routine data are also used to analyse treatment pathways of specific patient groups and to perform analyses of medical costs. We are interested in both direct medical costs that arise directly in the course of medical treatment (outpatient and inpatient treatment, prescription of drugs, etc.) and indirect costs (e.g. due to absence from work, reduced productivity). Besides the evaluation of structures, processes and results of medical care, the research activities of our research group ultimately aim to provide a scientific basis for the improvement of medical care.
Selection of current projects
Care situation of patients with ADHD in Germany
Since 2018, our research group has been conducting a research project evaluating the current care situation of patients with ADHD in Germany, which is funded by the “Innovation Fund” of the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA). The Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Medical Center Goettingen is a consortium partner of the "Center for Health Economics Research" of the Leibniz University of Hannover (CHERH) and the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). Based on routine data, the medical care (outpatient, inpatient, day-care hospital treatment, pharmaceutical treatment and psychotherapeutic care, etc.) for children, adolescents and adults with ADHD is evaluated. In addition, qualitative interviews with patients and their relatives are conducted to evaluate deficits in healthcare provision and developing suggestions for improvement. Furthermore, the project includes a survey by means of questionnaires of about 2,000 ADHD patients and discussion rounds with representatives of the outpatient and inpatient care sector, medical associations etc. The aim of the project is to develop guideline-adherent and improved healthcare approaches for the treatment of ADHD patients in Germany.
Routine data analyses of the psychiatric care landscape
The aim of the scientific project is to analyze §21 hospital data from psychiatric and psychosomatic facilities with regard to a wide range of issues. The period from 2014 to 2021 will be examined. A focus will be placed on the development of ECT in a wide variety of clinical pictures and age groups. In addition to length of stay, case severity and economic effects will also be examined. Another focus will be on the impact of Covid-19 on the psychiatric care landscape as seen from routine data.
Contact
Research group leader
PD. Dr. C. Wolff-Menzler
Tel.: +49 551 3960601
Fax.: +49 551 3960604
claus.wolff-menzler(at)med.uni-goettingen.de