Der Anaesthesist
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Only randomized clinical trials can improve the outcome of life-threatening injuries or diseases but observations from England and North America suggest that the number of such randomized clinical trials is decreasing. In this study contributions from German speaking countries with regards to randomized clinical trials in emergency medicine over the last 22 years were investigated. ⋯ A significant increase or decrease in the number of prospective randomized clinical trials in the out-of-hospital setting could not be found in German speaking countries despite the fact that the absolute numbers of studies had increased. Only about one prospective, randomized clinical trial with an emergency medicine core tracer diagnosis originated from Germany, Austria and Switzerland per year.
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How do physicians in the specialty of anesthesiology perceive the working conditions regarding stress and job satisfaction? The health system in Germany has been confronted with a rapidly changing framework over the last 20 years: For example, an increased influence of economic patterns on the workflow and the medical decision of physicians has been established forcing them to always take the economic aspects into account. Moreover, a new generation (generation Y) of physicians with other requirements of the work place, meaning mainly a demand for a better work-life balance, has gained a foothold in hospitals. These changes make it very important to investigate the status quo of current working conditions. ⋯ This study revealed a high prevalence of unfavorable working conditions for anesthetists in hospitals. Taking the forthcoming shortage of qualified physicians in German hospitals into account, these results have to be considered as a cause for concern. Constant unfavorable working conditions have a negative effect on the mental and physical health of employees. Sooner or later a migration of qualified physicians abroad could be the consequence. To prevent a future shortage of qualified physicians and to make the hospital work place more appealing, working conditions have to be adapted to current needs and expectations of employees. The focus should be put on balanced working conditions according to stress models shown in this study.
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Chronic pain affects approximately 20 % of adults worldwide and is often associated with a decrease in the quality of life and various comorbidities. Conventional analgesic therapies are frequently insufficient and sometimes lead to severe side effects. ⋯ Epigenetic mechanisms which interfere with the regulation of gene expression are involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases and are gaining increasing impetus in medical research. As they are also involved in pain processing, a modulation of these mechanisms might represent a novel option for the therapy of pain patients.