[Telemonitoring in heart failure : Update on health-related and economic implications]. / Telemonitoring bei Herzinsuffizienz : Update zu gesundheitlichen und ökonomischen Implikationen.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is one of the most common and cost-intensive chronic diseases worldwide. Telemonitoring offers the potential to improve care of heart failure treatment and reduce cost. Empirical findings of its efficacy are inconsistent up to now. This systematic review examines the current state of research regarding health-related and economic endpoints. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in July 2016 using the PubMed database and randomised controlled trials for the years 2011-2016. Only clinical research trials with heart failure patients were considered where the intervention was performed using external monitoring devices which transmitted data via information and communication technology. In all, 10 clinical trials were included. RESULTS: There is no definite evidence regarding improvement in care based solely on the most recent literature. Hospitalisation for heart failure and health-related quality of life were most positively influenced. There was no correlation between mortality and hospitalisations for all causes regarding telemonitoring. The overall costs tended to be higher for telemonitoring. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed to examine the health-related and economic benefits of telemonitoring for heart failure. A particular challenge is the evidence of cause-effect relationships within complex technology-supported health-care settings. The latest studies support the previous state of research.

[The Role of Psychological and Technology-related Personality Traits and Knowledge Levels as Factors Influencing Adoption of Telemonitoring by Medical Professionals]. / Die Rolle psychologischer und technikbezogener Persönlichkeitsmerkmale sowie individueller Wissensbestände von Ärztinnen und Ärzten für die Adoption des Telemonitorings in der medizinischen Versorgung.

OBJECTIVES: Information and communication technologies are becoming increasingly important in health care. Randomized clinical trials have shown that telemonitoring in particular leads to improved quality of care as well as shortened hospital stays and reduced health care costs. For its long-term anchoring in medical care, user-oriented technology needs to be developed, taking into account the complex structures of technology acceptance METHODS:: Knowledge of and attitudes towards telemonitoring amongst medical professionals were investigated using an online-based approach with a random sample of n=614; the response rate was 21% (n=133). The emergence of positive attitude patterns towards telemonitoring was analyzed using the relationships between psychological and technology-related personality traits, and perceived knowledge was determined using a regression model. RESULTS: Positive attitudes towards telemonitoring are significantly influenced by the individual's knowledge and agreeableness, which is strongly characterized by altruistic traits and interpersonal trust. There is a strong association with an improvement in the quality of care, while there are differences in attitudes towards telemonitoring between health care sectors and gender. Overall, only 57% of the physicians surveyed feel sufficiently informed about the use of telemonitoring. CONCLUSION: Medical evidence is crucial for the further development of telemedicine in general and telemonitoring in particular. Improvements need to be made in knowledge transfer, the exchange of best practice solutions and the anchoring of telemedicine in education and training.

[Strengthening Public and Global Health in Germany - an Appraisal of the Statement "Public Health in Germany" by the German Scientific Academies from June 16th 2015]. / Public und Global Health in Deutschland stärken - Eine Einordnung der Stellungnahme "Public Health in Deutschland" der wissenschaftlichen Akademien vom 16.6.2015.

In June 2015 the scientific academies "Leopoldina" and "acatech" and the union of the German academies of sciences and humanities published a statement on public and global health in Germany. The statement contains many valuable albeit generic and well-known recommendations. The few specific recommendations focus on centralizing research while weakening the role of universities and on the relative increase of research on public health genomics. These recommendations are not based on empirical or theoretical analyses and risk subverting successful developments of the recent past. To actually strengthen public and global health in Germany the existing institutions need to be backed up while designated funding of public and global health needs to be extended.

[Generalists or Specialists? Interdisciplinarity in, and Scientific Development of, Public Health in Germany]. / GeneralistInnen oder SpezialistInnen? Interdisziplinarität und fachliche Differenzierung innerhalb von Public Health in Deutschland.

Interdisciplinarity is not only a constitutive element of public health; it also contributes significantly to the solution of complex public health problems. Only through the cooperation of different disciplines and professions can the diverse social and methodological-technical challenges of developing, implementing and evaluating health-related interventions be solved. In this context, public health in Germany is facing challenges in its further development, two of which we discuss here. Firstly, there is a gap between aspiration and reality of interdisciplinary research and teaching of public health. Secondly, related to that, there is an increasingly difficult balance between professional breadth and specialisation in the university education of future public health experts.