Das Gesundheitswesen
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Jul 2011
[Use of health insurance data to analyse pain management practices in the nursing-home setting].
Pain is the most common health-related complaint in older persons. International estimations mention up to 80% of nursing home residents suffering from pain. In the meantime, no reliable epidemiological data on pain in nursing home residents are available for Germany, because of restricted access to the nursing-home population. ⋯ Prevalence rate and numbers of prescriptions were as frequent as expected. The routine method for this analysis proved to be practicable and reliable. Data quality is deemed sufficient so that the main study will proceed to include a longer period of time and additional data.
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Jun 2011
[Assessment of fitness for police custody: the physicians' responsibility and legal liability].
In contrast to several other European countries, German law provides only insufficient regulations on who is responsible for the medical assessment of persons in police custody. The police frequently report that doctors refuse to assess fitness for custody. Under consideration of the current legal background, we will discuss whether and, if so, which physicians can be obligated to carry out these assessments. We also examine a physician's possible exposure to criminal and civil liability if he or she refuses to assess fitness for custody or fails to render a correct assessment.
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Das Gesundheitswesen · May 2011
[Back pain, pain therapy and satisfaction with therapy--analyses in a cohort of elderly primary health care patients (getABI)].
Back pain can affect quality of life and independence of elderly people. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of back pain in a cohort of elderly primary health care patients, as well as to analyse pain therapy and level of satisfaction with therapy. ⋯ The prevalence of back pain in elderly people is high and leads to functional limitations. As a consequence of the rather low mean satisfaction with pain therapy, future studies on back pain therapy should include an assessment of patient preferences and satisfaction with therapy. It remains questionable, if the current medical care for elderly people with back pain complies with the latest guidelines that demand for multimodal therapy.