Open innovation in health care: analysis of an open health platform.

Today, integration of the public in research and development in health care is seen as essential for the advancement of innovation. This is a paradigmatic shift away from the traditional assumption that solely health care professionals are able to devise, develop, and disseminate novel concepts and solutions in health care. The present study builds on research in the field of open innovation to investigate the adoption of an open health platform by patients, care givers, physicians, family members, and the interested public.

Costs and benefits of personalized healthcare for patients with chronic heart failure in the care and education program "Telemedicine for the Heart".

Objective: A health economic analysis was conducted to evaluate the program "Telemedicine for the Heart," which the German Foundation for the Chronically Ill organizes for the Techniker Krankenkasse, one of the biggest German statutory health insurance funds. The program consists of nurse-calls to motivate patients to perform regular self-measurements (blood pressure, pulse, weight) with either their own or telemedical measuring devices provided by the program. In the case of measured values outside of set limits, calls to treating physicians were placed to allow for the initiation of therapy adjustments where applicable.

Costs and quality of life in patients with moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis in Germany: a multi-center study.

Background: This study evaluated costs, disease severity and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a 'psoriasis area and severity index' (PASI) > 12 and/or a body surface area (BSA) > 10 were enrolled in dermatological practices and hospital outpatient departments (n = 184) and the total costs of illness generated during the last 12 months were retrospectively calculated. QoL was assessed using the SF-36 and the DLQI.