Pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data from Germany are scarce outside hotspots, and socioeconomic disparities remained largely unexplored. The nationwide representative RKI-SOEP study (15,122 participants, 18-99 years, 54% women) investigated seroprevalence and testing in a supplementary wave of the Socio-Economic-Panel conducted predominantly in October-November 2020. Self-collected oral-nasal swabs were PCR-positive in 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has spread rapidly across Germany. Infections are likely to be under-recorded in the notification data from local health authorities on laboratory-confirmed cases since SARS-CoV-2 infections can proceed with few symptoms and then often remain undetected. Seroepidemiological studies allow the estimation of the proportion in the population that has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (seroprevalence) as well as the extent of undetected infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManagers and administrators in charge of social protection and health financing, service purchasing and provision play a crucial role in harnessing the potential advantage of prudent organization, management and purchasing of health services, thereby supporting the attainment of Universal Health Coverage. However, very little is known about the needed quantity and quality of such staff, in particular when it comes to those institutions managing mandatory health insurance schemes and purchasing services. As many health care systems in low- and middle-income countries move towards independent institutions (both purchasers and providers) there is a clear need to have good data on staff and administrative cost in different social health protection schemes as a basis for investing in the development of a cadre of health managers and administrators for such schemes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Germany, few data are available on medical malpractice claims against pediatricians. On behalf of Statutory Health Insurance Companies their Medical Service (MDK) regularly offers expert testimony in case of allegations during pediatric treatment. Analysis of 374 written pediatric testimonies, documented between September 1st, 2000 and August 31st, 2014.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTesticular tumors illustrate curable cancer, but 25% patients are resistant to standard therapy. High-dose chemotherapy (HDC) is promising therapy for germ-cell tumors with poor prognosis. HDC and transplantation of autologous stem cells were performed in 13 patients with germ-cell testicular tumors (GTT).
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