Navigating the Future of Organisational Health Services Research in Germany and beyond: a Position Paper.

Background: Recent analyses have shown that in health services research in Germany, healthcare organisations are often considered primarily as a study setting, without fully taking their complex organisational nature into account, neither theoretically nor methodologically. Therefore, an initiative was launched to analyse the state of Organisational Health Services Research (OHSR) in Germany and to develop a strategic framework and road map to guide future efforts in the field. This paper summarizes positions that have been jointly developed by consulting experts from the interdisciplinary and international scientific community.

Household transmission of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 under conditions of hybrid immunity-a prospective study in Germany.

Purpose: We investigated the protection offered by vaccinations and previous infections for the household transmission of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: 34,666 participants of the German DigiHero cohort study with two or more household members were invited to a prospective household transmission study between June and December 2022. In case of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in a household, symptom diaries were completed for at least 14 days.

Roger's diffusion of innovations theory and the adoption of a patient portal's digital anamnesis collection tool: study protocol for the MAiBest project.

Background: German hospitals are legally obliged to implement digital patient portals within the next years. Systematic reviews show that the use of patient portals may be associated with improved patient-centeredness and workflows. However, mandatory digital healthcare innovations are sometimes not used by the target group as planned or even completely rejected.

Intersectional inequalities in health anxiety: multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy in the SOMA.SOC study.

Background: Intersectional approaches are needed to disaggregate the complex interaction of social identities contributing to (mental) health disparities. Health anxiety represents an overlooked public mental health issue. Therefore, intersectional inequalities in health anxiety were examined using multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA).

Communication patterns in families affected by parental cancer from the healthy parents' perspective-process evaluation of the complex intervention Family-SCOUT.

Purpose: Within families affected by parental cancer, open communication impacts the well-being of parents and their children; however, limited research exists on communication patterns in these families. This sub-study addresses this through the Family-SCOUT study, a multicenter, prospective, interventional, and non-randomized investigation with intervention (IG) and control group (CG). The purpose of this sub-study was to identify and compare the differences in communication patterns between the IG and CG as part of the process evaluation.

Mapping intersectional sociodemographic inequalities in measurement and prevalence of depressive symptoms: a intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy using data from a population-based nationwide survey in Germany.

Objectives: Understanding how social categories like gender, migration background, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) status, education, and their intersections affect health outcomes is crucial. Challenges include avoiding stereotypes and fairly assessing health outcomes. This paper aims to demonstrate how to analyze these aspects.

Clinician responses to emotions and patient experience: A response to Kuchinad et al (2024).

In a recent article, research on clinician responses to emotions and patient ratings of communication is presented. In the discussion section, the authors refer to results from a multidisciplinary research team including the authors of this correspondence. The results of both studies differ in some respects: A closer look at the methodology and the results could help to better understand these different results.

Organisational Health Services Research in Germany: A Scoping Review of Conference Abstracts.

Background: Health Services Research (HSR) is a growing field in Germany, in which Organisational Health Services Research (OHSR) has emerged as a subfield. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the field of OHSR within HSR in Germany and to map systematically original contributions by describing the organisational setting, the research design, the research objectives and the theoretical underpinning.

Methods: A scoping review examined published abstracts from the 19th German Conference on Health Services Research 2020.

Web-based occupational stress prevention in German micro- and small-sized enterprises - process evaluation results of an implementation study.

Background: Structural and behavioral interventions to manage work-related stress are effective in employees. Nonetheless, they have been implemented insufficiently, particularly in micro- and small-sized enterprises (MSE). Main barriers include a lack of knowledge and limited resources, which could potentially be overcome with simplified web-based alternatives for occupational stress prevention.

Achieving sufficient milk supply supports mothers to cope with premature birth.

Aim: To explore whether and how expressing breast milk is perceived as helpful in coping with negative emotions due to premature birth by mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Methods: Qualitative interviews and a retrospective cross-sectional questionnaire with mothers of VLBW infants were conducted and analysed using an exploratory sequential mixed-method design. Hypotheses were built using qualitative content analysis and quantitatively tested using multivariate regression analysis.

University Students' Financial Situation During COVID-19 and Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms: Results of the COVID-19 German Student Well-Being Study (C19 GSWS).

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on students' financial situation as well as on their mental health.

Aim: To examine the reported change in the financial situation of German university students before and across two time points of the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate its associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Methods: We used data from the cross-sectional COVID-19 German Student Well-being Study conducted at five German universities (N = 7203).

Effectiveness of a comprehensive support program for families with parental cancer (Family-SCOUT): results of a multicenter non-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cancer patients with minor children but also their families suffer from significant psychological distress and comorbidity. Protective factors predicting successful coping are well known. Corresponding systematic interventions are rare and limited by access barriers.

Political party affiliation, social identity cues, and attitudes about protective mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine 1) whether German citizens' adherence to health professionals' recommendations and mandates regarding protective masks during the COVID-19 pandemic varied according to their political party affiliations, and 2) how behavioral cues provided by members of shared social groups, such as family and friends, influenced individual mask-wearing behavior. A quota-based sample of German voters (n = 330) consisting of 55 citizens whose voting intentions aligned with each of the country's six main political parties responded to an online questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Univariate descriptive statistical analyses of quantitative data were conducted, and multiple regressions were performed to determine log odds and significant variations among group-based responses.

Patterns of Sexual Risk Behaviors and Sexuality-Related Risk Factors among Young Adults in Germany: Implications for Prevention and Therapy.

Sexual risk behavior (SRB) includes behavioral (sex without contraception, sexualized substance use, sex work, sexual partner violence, other sexual activities that harm oneself or others) and affective subtypes (sexuality-related feelings of shame/guilt, relationship impairments) and leads to psychosocial and health-related consequences. Young adults comprise a vulnerable group regarding the development of SRB. The study aimed to identify SRB patterns among young adults and their relation to sexuality-related risk factors.

Socioeconomic inequalities in pandemic-induced psychosocial stress in different life domains among the working-age population.

Background: Psychosocial stress is considered a risk factor for physical and mental ill-health. Evidence on socioeconomic inequalities with regard to the psychosocial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany is still limited. We aimed to investigate how pandemic-induced psychosocial stress (PIPS) in different life domains differed between socioeconomic groups.

Public Beliefs About Accessibility and Quality of Emergency Departments in Germany.

Background: It is well established that emergency department (ED) crowding leads to worse health outcomes. Although various patient surveys provide information about reasons to visit EDs, less is known in terms of beliefs about EDs among the general population. This study examines public beliefs regarding accessibility and quality of EDs and their associations with social characteristics (gender, age, education, immigration background) as well as knowledge about emergency care services and health literacy.

Treatment confidence and patient participation in multidisciplinary tumor conferences: A structural equation modeling approach.

Objective: Multidisciplinary tumor conference (MTC) is a key instrument in multidisciplinary cancer care. In recent years, if and how patient participation in MTC can contribute to a more patient-centered care have been scientifically discussed. This study aimed to identify determinants of treatment confidence in the context of patient participation in MTC.

YouTube and the implementation and discontinuation of the oral contraceptive pill: A mixed-method content analysis.

Background: Women living in high-quality healthcare systems are more likely to use oral contraceptives at some point in their lives. Research findings have sparked controversial discussions about contraception in the scientific community and the media, potentially leading to higher rates of method discontinuation. Understanding the underlying motives for method discontinuation is crucial for reproductive health equity and future programming interventions.

Intersectional Inequalities in the Transition to Grandparenthood and Cognitive Functioning: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy.

Objectives: In aging societies, more people become vulnerable to experiencing cognitive decline. Simultaneously, the role of grandparenthood is central for older adults and their families. Our study investigates inequalities in the level and trajectories of cognitive functioning among older adults, focusing on possible intersectional effects of social determinants and grandparenthood as a life course transition that may contribute to delaying cognitive decline.

Working from home during COVID-19: boundary management tactics and energy resources management strategies reported by public service employees in a qualitative study.

Background: Increased working from home has imposed new challenges on public service employees, while also granting opportunities for job crafting. Grounding on the Job Demands-Resources model and Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory this exploratory research aims to investigate the work-nonwork balance of employees one and a half years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the research focus lies on employees' job crafting strategies to optimize their working from home experience concerning boundary management and energy resource management.

Patient experiences and needs in cancer care- results from a nationwide cross-sectional study in Germany.

Background: Patient-centredness has become a central quality indicator for oncology care. Elements include shared decision-making, patient navigation and integration of psychosocial care, which impact patient-reported and clinical outcomes. Despite efforts to promote patient-centred care in Germany in recent decades, implementation remains fragmented.

Exploring patients' perspectives: a mixed methods study on Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) experiences.

Background: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT), an alternative to inpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy, has shown benefits in international studies such as increased patient satisfaction. Because OPAT has been used only sporadically in Germany so far, no structured results on patients' experiences and concerns regarding OPAT have yet been available. This study therefore aims to explore the experiences of OPAT patients in a pilot region in Germany.

Contextual factors and mechanisms in the implementation of Value Stream Mapping in breast cancer centres - A multiple case study.

Introduction: Lean, especially Value Stream Mapping is increasingly used in hospitals to optimize processes. This method, which originated in the automotive industry, enables all staff involved in the process to make it more customer-friendly. Despite the widely reported success of Lean projects, they have failed in some cases.

Lactation support in neonatal intensive care units in Germany from the mothers' perspective - a mixed-method study of the current status and needs.

Background: Establishing successful lactation in mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500g) infants requires structured lactation support. Little is known about mothers' perspectives on lactation support in German neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Methods: This paper features a convergent mixed-method approach that includes a retrospective, cross-sectional questionnaire and interview data to showcase mothers' perceptions of lactation support in NICUs.