[Joint interpretation work in qualitative health research in times of "physical distancing"]. / Gemeinsame Interpretationsarbeit in der qualitativen Gesundheitsforschung in Zeiten von "Physical Distancing".

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers face particular challenges: as contact restrictions prevented face-to-face formats, both data collection and qualitative interpretation work (data analysis) had to be carried out in virtual space. In this article, we outline a digital option for strategically conducting joint interpretation work in qualitative health research in times of "physical distancing", which also provides inspiration for research practice in the post-pandemic future.

Intensive Care Units Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Negotiations at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: A Grounded Theory Study.

Faced with the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), healthcare professionals (HCPs) in intensive care units (ICU) adjusted their organizational, operational, and personal procedures to ensure care for COVID-19 patients. We used grounded theory approach to explore ICU HCPs' perspectives on professional action at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany from March to July 2020. The study aimed to examine implicit principles on negotiating social practice and interaction of ICU HCPs in an exceptional situation, which was characterized by a high level of changes. We conducted theme-guided qualitative telephone/virtual interviews with 39 ICU HCPs from ten German federal states. The data collection followed the principles of theoretical sampling. We adpoted grounded theory approach proposed by Charmaz and discussed using Lüscher's theoretical concept of ambivalence. The analysis revealed five interconnected categories about the ICU HCPs' negotiation of social practice and interaction at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. In this context, a complex field of ambivalence (key category) emerged between habits and routines of a pre-pandemic normality. Pragmatic restructuring processes were initiated, which quickly resulted in a new normality of a "daily routine of preparation". Dealing with ambivalence offers the potential for change.

["I better stay at home "-health system decisions to support the use of routine healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / " oder doch lieber daheimbleiben?" ­ Unterstützung bei der Entscheidung zur Inanspruchnahme der Regelversorgung während der COVID-19-Pandemie durch Akteure des Gesundheitssystems.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, sharp disruptions of healthcare utilization for noncommunicable diseases were observed to some extent because of people's fear of infection. We undertook a review of German healthcare institutions asking: To what extent were people supported in their decisions (not) to seek medical care for health problems other than COVID-19? METHODS: Content analysis of the websites of the members of the Association of Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF; n = 179), the association of statutory (dental) health insurance physicians (K(Z)Vs; n = 38), selected health insurances (n = 21), selected healthcare institutions (n = 25), and supraregional health information providers (n = 5) for information and offers that address people with noncommunicable diseases. RESULTS: The examined websites provide information about COVID-19, but only rarely about how to behave in the case of another (suspected) disease regarding healthcare utilization. Two health information provider portals, one health insurance company, but none of the KVs offer explicit decision support. KVs refer more often, but not consistently, to the general possibility of video consulting. DISCUSSION: Information concerning the topic is scarce for most of the patients. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, it is important to expand existing, trustworthy, high-quality information and advisory capacities to increase their profile in order to enable health-literate decisions even during a pandemic.

Practical training in medical sociology "Analysis of social environments of living quarters". A field experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: In the summer semester 2020, a new format was introduced at the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg for first-year medical students in the subject of medical sociology with a neighborhood-related social environment analysis. Didactic approach: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the didactic concept had to be changed at short notice from seminar group-related fieldwork in different districts of Magdeburg to individual work at the place of study or home, supplemented by accompanying online offers. The students were asked to characterize their neighborhood in terms of quality of life, health and illness as well as medical care by means of interviews with inhabitants of their immediate living environment, a neighborhood inspection with the taking of photographs and an analysis of official secondary data. The aim was to gain initial experience in scientific work (data collection, presentation and interpretation of results, as well as reporting). An evaluation of this new course and conclusions derived from it for its further development will be reported. Evaluation: 51 percent of the students participated in an evaluation of the course. The clear majority rated the internship as "good" or "very good". As a suggestion for improvement, the desire for optional supplementary individual counseling and better formal preparation for the performance assessments were expressed several times. Two thirds of those surveyed consider the online teaching format to be useful even in post-pandemic times.