Multicentre cohort study 'Rehabilitation of Occupational Skin Diseases - Optimization and Quality Assurance of Inpatient Management (ROQ)': results from a 3-year follow-up.

Background: A tertiary individual prevention programme (TIP) is offered to patients with severe occupational skin disease (OSD) in Germany. Previously, it was shown that the burden of OSDs is considerably reduced in patients up to 1 year after the TIP.

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term effects of the TIP.

Predictors of benefit from an atopic dermatitis education programme.

Background: Multidisciplinary, age-related, structured, group educational programmes for children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their parents have shown positive long-term outcomes with respect to quality of life and coping behaviour of the participants. We aimed to identify predictors of favourable long-term outcome of an education measure for parents of children with AD aged 3 months to 7 years in the framework of The German Atopic Dermatitis Intervention Study (GADIS).

Methods: In an exploratory approach, the data of 274 child-parent pairs were analysed with respect to the influence of various somatic and psychological variables as possible predictors of treatment success.

Cost of illness from occupational hand eczema in Germany.

Background: There is little knowledge about the costs of occupational hand eczema.

Objectives: To estimate the societal costs of patients with occupational hand eczema in Germany.

Methods: Resource use during the past year, disease severity and quality of life [Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)] were gathered for patients with occupational hand eczema before they entered a special rehabilitation programme.

Multicentre study 'rehabilitation of occupational skin diseases -optimization and quality assurance of inpatient management (ROQ)'-results from 12-month follow-up.

Background: Occupational skin disease (OSD) is common, and imposes a considerable personal and public burden. To tackle OSD, the German stepwise procedure of handling OSD was set up. It contains an interdisciplinary, integrated inpatient rehabilitation measure [tertiary individual prevention (TIP)] [dermatological treatment and diagnostic procedures, and patient education (health and psychological)].

First results from the multicentre study rehabilitation of occupational skin diseases--optimization and quality assurance of inpatient management (ROQ).

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. The German stepwise procedure of handling occupational skin diseases (OSDs) offers interdisciplinary integrated (inpatient/outpatient) rehabilitation measures [tertiary individual prevention (TIP)] for severe OSD. In 2005, a prospective cohort multicentre study was started in order to evaluate TIP.

Structured education program improves the coping with atopic dermatitis in children and their parents-a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to prove training-specific effects in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their parents concerning coping with the disease after their participation in a training program. In the 1-year follow-up, the changes in the training group were compared to the changes in a waiting control group while controlling the effects of the changes in severity scores.

Methods: One hundred eighty-five children aged 8-12 years and their parents participated in the study.

Multicenter study "Medical-Occupational Rehabilitation Procedure Skin--optimizing and quality assurance of inpatient-management (ROQ)".

Scientifically based prevention and patient management concepts in occupational dermatology have substantially improved during recent years. Currently the public statutory employers' liability insurance bodies fund a multi-step intervention approach designed to provide quick preventive help for all levels of severity of occupational dermatoses. An administrative guideline (hierarchical multi-step intervention procedure for occupational skin diseases--"Stufenverfahren Haut") insures professional support and optimal patient orientation by the statutory insurers' representatives.

Itch intensity evaluated in the German Atopic Dermatitis Intervention Study (GADIS): correlations with quality of life, coping behaviour and SCORAD severity in 823 children.

The German Atopic Dermatitis Intervention Study (GADIS), which includes 823 children and adolescents, showed that age-related educational programmes are effective in the long-term management of atopic dermatitis. We investigated whether the itch severity obtained in the scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) correlates with quality of life and coping behaviour in children and parents. There were significant but low correlations between the severity of atopic dermatitis and the itch intensity.

Age related, structured educational programmes for the management of atopic dermatitis in children and adolescents: multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine the effects of age related, structured educational programmes on the management of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in childhood and adolescence.

Design: Multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Seven hospitals in Germany.

Epidemiology of tick bites and borreliosis in children attending kindergarten or so-called "forest kindergarten" in southwest Germany.

The so-called "forest kindergartens" have been increasingly popular in Germany since the beginning of the 1990s. These are nurseries located in forested areas where children spend all-season full-time outdoors. Fifty-three kindergartens in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany participated in this study.

Cardiovascular risk factors and motivation for a healthy life-style in a German community--results of the GP-based Oestringen study.

This paper explores the motivation of patients towards a healthy life-style in a small community with a special general practice and community-based health education program in order to identify reasons for different motivations and barriers and to improve preventive measures and outcome. The last of six standardised health surveys carried out over 9 years in the five general practices was therefore combined with a questionnaire to explore the attitudes of a sample of patients from these practices (N = 1044) and all attendees of 11 health education courses (N = 153). In addition to the cardiovascular risk factors, data were collected on sociodemographic factors and motivations for health promotion.

Patient willingness to pay for preventive measures in primary care: a study of five GPs in a German community.

Objective: To explore the willingness of patients in a usual primary care setting to pay out-of-pocket fees for their own health promotion, in correlation with risk factors and net income, and compared to patients of an educational programme.

Methods: A standardised health survey carried out in five general practices (GPs) of a small community with a special GP-based health education programme was combined with a questionnaire to explore the special attitudes of patients from a practice sample (n = 973) and from educational courses (n = 202): covering, in addition to cardiovascular risk factors, the sociodemographic factors, net income, and out-of-pocket fees that could be spent for own health promotion.

Results: After attending an educational programme, the patient's willingness to spend 15-40 euros/month for their own health promotion was high but there was no correlation with the income (p < 0.