Heiner Raspe

..To report and critically appraise the current state of managing chronic (and subacute) low back pain as reflected in recently published guidelines and results from latest trials...

..The present study explores the possibility of conducting representative and population-based research on cancer care on the basis of data drawn from the Cancer Registry...

..The latter implies a more active search for rehabilitation need and the implementation of problem-focussed, flexible programmes. Above all, better evidence for the effectiveness of the German rehabilitation system is crucial...

..It is seldom the consequence of a contagious disease caused by microorganisms. This does not exclude it from being communicable if 'communicable' is to refer to something being transmitted by sharing or exchanging information...

..The pathways were consented in a consensus conference using nominal group process methods. Their feasibility and effect will be evaluated within a regional implementation project...

....

..Once more it will be demonstrated that the fundamental basis of any medical benefit assessment is a weak one in various parts and needs continuous theoretical reflection...

..While discussing possible objects, levels, criteria, ethics, and normative implications of priority setting in healthcare, recent recommendations of a permanent vaccination committee (STIKO) are used as an example...

..The assessment is usually followed by the shared identification of therapeutic goals and indications. In chronic disorders, a wide spectrum of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, methods, and professions becomes relevant...

..The position and role of the standards will be explained using the example "search for and selection of literature"...

..The development of instruments assessing the prognosis of gainful employment is an important task in rehabilitation research...

..Cross-sectional survey with personal interviews...

..It is likely that the clinical pathway used in the telemedicine centre led to an increased hospital admission rate in the intervention group...

..The present study aims to operationalize IHSs and denial and investigates their occurrence, socio-demographic determinants within two regional populations...

..The objective of this paper is to estimate and compare point and period prevalence rates of back pain from two highly comparable postal surveys, a decade apart within a single regional population in the north of Germany...

..Traditional pretests are used in the development of survey items to identify technical and comprehension problems. Cognitive processes involved in answering survey questions are not the object of this kind of test...

..Although possible predictors of interest in participation could be specified, further factors contributing to actual participation need to be identified...

..001. Regardless of utilization, the majority of the intervention patients considered that the telemedicine system was helpful (users = 93%, non-users = 89%; P = 0.095)...

..The lower general life satisfaction observed in patients with CAP was found to reflect comorbidity rather than the effects of the pneumonia itself...

..Analytic cross-sectional and cohort study...

..The available study aimed at the evaluation of the test-retest reliability of fundamental questions on the occurrence and severity of back pain that have been widely used in international population surveys...

..Values above the pre-defined target level of the quality indicators were significantly achieved by five indicators (p<.05), almost achieved by three indicators (not significant), and were significantly failed by four indicators...

....

..We performed a population-based survey to study the prevalence of this practice, patients' attitudes toward it, and any potential regional differences...

..The objectives of this study were to identify problems that patients have in completing different health status questionnaires, and thus identify possible major pitfalls in interpretation of the scores...

..An underestimated risk factor for a chronic-disabling course of current back pain is (besides its acute grade and stage) its previous history...

..The training should primarily focus on integrating EbM into daily routines. In public presentations efforts should be directed towards promoting the way in which EbM enhances professional autonomy and therapeutic freedom...

..Further requirements include adequate instruction of patients, as well as intensive and prolonged after-care. Both could be very well integrated into comprehensive disease management programmes...

..To estimate a population based annual incidence of CAP in an urban German area we compared the incidence estimated on four different approaches...

..In conclusion, telephone counselling by specially trained nurses seems a cost-effective way to achieve a lasting reduction in cardiac risk factors and to maintain the effects of cardiac rehabilitation...

..To develop the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for conducting clinical studies and/or clinical trials in systemic vasculitis...

..Cross-sectional population-based study...

..A population-based cross-sectional multiregion postal survey...

....

..Despite strong recommendations, immunization rates for influenza and pneumococci are low. We aimed to analyse the vaccination status and its determinants in patients with chronic lung diseases...

....

....

..Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is a frequent and potentially fatal infectious disease which, in the majority of cases, needs an antibiotic intervention...

..The paper deals with the problems, data sources, and methods of comparison of clinic-specific efficacy. The limits of the quality-assurance program used thus far become also evident...