Can screening and decontamination procedures performed on an outpatient basis reduce the colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and mitigate associated complications in patients undergoing elective hospital procedures? A controlled intervention study (STAUfrei).

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) colonisation increases the risk of wound infections in surgical procedures. Prevention strategies to date have focused primarily on the hospital, although there are recommendations for pre-hospital decontamination at home, which can be performed by patients themselves. The current study aimed to shift the process of screening and decontamination of SA (methicillin-resistant S.

Unveiling Usage Patterns and Explaining Usage of Symptom Checker Apps: Explorative Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Symptom checker apps (SCA) aim to enable individuals without medical training to classify perceived symptoms and receive guidance on appropriate actions, such as self-care or seeking professional medical attention. However, there is a lack of detailed understanding regarding the contexts in which individuals use SCA and their opinions on these tools.

Objective: This mixed methods study aims to explore the circumstances under which medical laypeople use SCA and to identify which aspects users find noteworthy after using SCA.

The Doctors, Their Patients, and the Symptom Checker App: Qualitative Interview Study With General Practitioners in Germany.

Background: Symptom checkers are designed for laypeople and promise to provide a preliminary diagnosis, a sense of urgency, and a suggested course of action.

Objective: We used the international symptom checker app (SCA) Ada App as an example to answer the following question: How do general practitioners (GPs) experience the SCA in relation to the macro, meso, and micro level of their daily work, and how does this interact with work-related psychosocial resources and demands?

Methods: We conducted 8 semistructured interviews with GPs in Germany between December 2020 and February 2022. We analyzed the data using the integrative basic method, an interpretative-reconstructive method, to identify core themes and modes of thematization.

Enhancing patient activation: a controlled implementation study of an interprofessional evidence-based counseling program for complementary and integrative healthcare in cancer patients ('CCC-Integrativ').

Complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH) is increasingly recognized as a valuable approach to empowering and activating cancer patients. Studies have shown that higher patient activation is positively associated with improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. The CCC-Integrativ study aimed to assess the implementation of an evidence-based counseling service on CIH at four Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCC) in Germany.

Exploring the association between phytopharmaceutical use and antibiotic prescriptions in upper respiratory infections: results from a German cohort study evaluating the impact of naturopathy qualifications of general practitioners using routine data.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a significant global health threat, exacerbated by inappropriate prescribing practices, particularly for upper respiratory infections that are predominantly viral. Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM), including the use of phytopharmaceuticals, offers a potential strategy to reduce antibiotic prescriptions.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the impact of General Practitioners' (GPs) naturopathy (NP) qualifications and phytopharmaceutical prescriptions on the rate of antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory infections (RTI).

Integrative nursing interventions: knowledge, attitudes and practice in home nursing services in Germany-a quantitative and qualitative online survey.

Introduction: Integrative nursing interventions (INI) play a significant role in healthcare, particularly in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Integrating evidence-based INI into healthcare aligns with global initiatives such as the WHO's Decade of Healthy Aging 2020-2030. Many INI are low-threshold practices, empowering patients to independently manage health.

Scientific skills in health services research - knowledge, utilization and needs for continuing education among staff at the University Hospital Tübingen.

Objectives: As part of the further development of an existing training program on scientific skills for health services research at the University Hospital Tübingen, the aim of the study is to determine the level of knowledge, utilization and needs for continuing education among staff.

Methods: In 2022, a semi standardized anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted at the University Hospital Tübingen. The content of the questionnaire survey was the level of knowledge and utilization of various research methods, the need for continuing education on these and other healthcare research-related topics and the preferred training concept.

Vaccination status of patients with primary immunodeficiencies in Germany-a multicentric epidemiologic analysis.

Background: Vaccinations represent an easily accessible, safe, and important method for preventing infections. Patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) are more susceptible to infections and should receive an extended spectrum of immunizations in many countries.

Methods: Between January 2019 and May 2020, vaccination certificates of 70 patients with PID from the regions of Würzburg and Hanover in Germany were evaluated.

A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture and receptive music therapy for sleep disorders in the elderly-ELAMUS: study protocol.

Background: Globally, the demographic shift towards an aging population leads to significant challenges in healthcare systems, specifically due to an increasing incidence of multimorbidity resulting in polypharmacy among the elderly. Simultaneously, sleep disorders are a common complaint for elderly people. A treatment with pharmacological therapies often leads to side effects causing a high potential for dependency.

[Socio-Cultural and Professional Integration of Foreign-Born and Foreign-Educated Physicians in German Outpatient Care: an Interview-Based Study in Baden-Württemberg and Hessen].

Introduction In recent years, it has become increasingly hard to fill outpatient physician vacancies in all parts of Germany. This development is particularly pronounced in general practice. At the same time, the number of doctors trained abroad is increasing, predominantly in the inpatient sector.

Counseling lifestyle medicine in oncology: A qualitative analysis of interprofessional patient-nurse-physician interactions.

Objectives: Counseling plays a key role in promoting health behaviors, providing evidence-based information, and supporting patients with cancer during and after treatment. This study aimed to evaluate an interprofessional counseling service on Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) for patients being treated at Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) in Southern Germany.

Methods: Patients participating in the CCC-Integrativ study received three CIH counseling sessions within three months in addition to their conventional cancer treatment.

A Qualitative Investigation of Factors Influencing the Integration of Complementary and Integrative Healthcare Recommendations in the Daily Lives of Patients with Cancer.

Background: Many patients diagnosed with cancer use complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH) approaches to manage their cancer- and treatment-related symptoms and improve their well-being. Evidence suggests that counseling on CIH can improve health outcomes and decrease healthcare costs by increasing patient activation. This qualitative study explores the experiences of cancer patients who underwent interprofessional counseling on CIH to gain insights into how these patients were able to integrate recommended CIH measures into their daily lives while undergoing conventional cancer treatment.

Exploring the gap: attitudes, knowledge, and training needs in complementary and integrative medicine among healthcare professionals at German university hospitals.

Introduction: The use of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) is very popular among the general population in Germany. However, international studies show that nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals (HCPs) at hospitals often do not feel sufficiently informed about different CIM approaches. Moreover, they do not feel trained enough to counsel their patients appropriately.

The Patient Activation Measure-13 (PAM-13) in an oncology patient population: psychometric properties and dimensionality evaluation.

Background: Accurate assessment and enhancement of health-related skills among oncology patients are pivotal for optimizing cancer care. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13), a questionnaire designed to reflect an individual's knowledge, skills, and confidence in self-healthcare management, has been validated across diverse countries and settings. Concerns have been raised regarding the cross-situational applicability, as patients with specific diseases and cultural backgrounds interpret questionnaire items differently.

[Health Services Research in the Public Health Department - An Explorative Interview Study on Scientific Methodological Competence in the PHS in Baden-Württemberg, Germany].

Background And Aim Of The Study: One aim of the pact for the Public Health Service ("Pakt für den ÖGD") is to increase scientific activity in the Public Health Service (PHS). This study deals with the question, which methods related to health services research are known and applied in the PHS and which methods are needed by PHS employees in the federal state Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Methods: Guideline-based interviews (focus group and individual interviews) were conducted with 12 persons at different hierarchy levels from public health departments in Baden-Württemberg.

[Health Promotion and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases by Public Health Departments in Baden-Württemberg during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an Online Survey].

Objectives: Disease prevention and health promotion are among the core tasks of German public health services (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst - ÖGD), particularly local public health departments (Gesundheitsämter). Little is known about the extent to which the departments were able to continue activities in the field of health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases (HPP-NCDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the example of public health departments in Baden-Württemberg (BW), we therefore investigated how much staff was available to the departments for HPP-NCDs services, how much staff was actually dedicated to HPP-NCDs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which HPP-NCDs activities were carried out during the pandemic, which were cancelled, and which should be resumed as a priority, according to the public health departments.

A Qualitative Analysis of Cancer Patients' Perceptions of an Interprofessional Counseling Service on Complementary and Integrative Healthcare.

Medical guidelines recommend actively addressing patients' information needs regarding complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH). Within the CCC-Integrativ study, an interprofessional counseling program on CIH was developed and implemented at four comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) in Germany. As part of the process evaluation, this study examines cancer patients' experiences with interprofessional CIH counseling sessions conducted by a physician and a nurse.

'Better see a doctor?' Status quo of symptom checker apps in Germany: A cross-sectional survey with a mixed-methods design (CHECK.APP).

Background: Symptom checker apps (SCAs) offer symptom classification and low-threshold self-triage for laypeople. They are already in use despite their poor accuracy and concerns that they may negatively affect primary care. This study assesses the extent to which SCAs are used by medical laypeople in Germany and which software is most popular.

Clinical effectiveness of patient-targeted feedback following depression screening in general practice (GET.FEEDBACK.GP): an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicentre, three-arm, observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial in Germany.

Background: Screening for depression in primary care alone is not sufficient to improve clinical outcomes. However, targeted feedback of the screening results to patients might result in beneficial effects. The GET.

Feasibility, safety and effectiveness of prednisolone and vitamin B1, B6, and B12 in patients with post-COVID-19-syndrome (PreVitaCOV) - protocol of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trial in primary care (phase IIIb).

Background: After infection with SARS-CoV-2 a relevant proportion of patients complains about persisting symptoms, a condition termed Post-COVID-19-syndrome (PC19S). So far, possible treatments are under investigation. Among others, neurotropic vitamins and anti-inflammatory substances are potential options.

Stretching is not essential for managing MS spasticity: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Clinical practice, expert opinion, and evidence-based guidelines recommend daily stretching as first-line treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity, but this has not been evaluated by fully powered clinical trials.

Objective: To determine whether MS Spasticity: Take Control (STC), a guideline-based program of spasticity education and stretching exercises has different effects on the impact of spasticity than a control program of different spasticity education and range of motion (ROM) exercises.

Methods: Ambulatory people with self-reported MS spasticity were randomly assigned to STC or ROM, delivered in same duration, facilitator-led, group classes, face-to-face (F2F) initially and later virtually, due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

[Information on health promotion and prevention on the websites of Baden-Württemberg's public health services-a first approach].

Background: Health promotion and prevention are core tasks of German public health services (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst). Health communication is, among other things, central to their effectiveness. As the Internet has become an important source of health information and public health services are increasingly in the public eye, their websites are gaining more focus.

Stress experiences of healthcare assistants in family practice at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study.

Background: At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, healthcare assistants in general practices were confronted with numerous new challenges. The aim of the study was to investigate the stress factors of healthcare assistants in March/April 2020 as well as in the further course of the pandemic in 2020.

Methods: From August to December 2020, 6,300 randomly selected healthcare assistants in four German states were invited to participate in the study.