We are pleased to present you our third international newsletter. It provides up-to-date information concerning CoRe-Net — a competence network connecting scientific practice and research in Cologne.
For further information on CoRe-Net, please visit our English website.
Content:
1. Review: CoRe-Net / ZVFK workshop: “From idea to project proposal”
2. Review: Participation at DKVF
3. Review: Science Slam
4. Funding announcement for the project K-APAT
5. Publications
6. 2nd funding phase
7. CoRe-Net database
8. News from the CoRe-Net subprojects
8.1. LYOL-C
8.2. MenDis-CHD
8.3. OrgValue
1. Review: CoRe-Net / ZVFK workshop: “From idea to project proposal”
On 9th November 2018, the workshop “From idea to project proposal ‒ Research funding by the innovation fund” took place. It was jointly organized by CoRe-Net and the Center for Health Services Research Cologne. The aim of the workshop was to inform the participants about the features of research proposals in health services research. We also developed best-practice models for successful submission.
Many thanks to all the participants!
2. Review: Participation at DKVF
From 10th to 12th October 2018, the 17th German Congress on Health Care Research took place in Berlin. CoRe-Net and its subprojects, LYOL-C, MenDis-CHD and OrgValue, were represented with several posters and lectures. For example, the current state of CoRe-Net was presented in a poster presentation, titled “CoRe-Net – Establishment of a competence network connecting scientific practice and research in Cologne – Intermediate status”. The congress contributions and other publications are available here.
Besides the conference contributions, there was an interesting meeting with the other research networks that are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for structural development in health services research. This meeting was jointly organized by HAM-NET and CoRe-Net. The aim was to get to know each other and to learn something about the other networks. We are happy about the participation of all the other networks.
3. Review: Science Slam
As already mentioned in the last newsletter, the event “A coffee with science” took place in July 2018. After that, a joint article with the Health Region CologneBonn was published in the journal Monitor Versorgungsforschung (Issue 05/18). The article, titled “Science Slam: Participative inclusion of scientific and non-scientific actors ‒ Transdisciplinarity is a lifestyle”, deals with the science slam as a format of transdisciplinary scientific communication.
4. Funding announcement for the project K-APAT
We are pleased about the funding announcement from the Innovation Committee (Innovationsausschuss) of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) for the project K-APAT (Cologne ‒ Ambulatory Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy). Our first CoRe-Net offshoot project uses the infrastructure of CoRe-Net (e.g. database) and received funding from the German innovation fund. The project was submitted by Dr Lehmann and Prof. Fätkenheuer from the Clinical Infectiology Department and the Cologne Network of Infectiology (University Hospital Cologne). A short project description can be found here.
5. Publications
The following publications have been published by CoRe-Net and the three projects. A general overview of CoRe-Net can be found in the journal Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen (ZEFQ). The article is available here. The subprojects: The subproject OrgValue has already published a study protocol in the journal BMJ Open (click here) as well as the subproject LYOL-C (click here). MenDis-CHD is currently awaiting the publication of its study protocol in the journal BMC Psychiatry.
CoRe-Net and the subprojects have presented several posters and lectures at various congresses. All congress contributions and the other publications can be found here.
6. 2nd funding phase
We recently submitted an application for the second funding phase in CoRe-Net. To prepare the application, various meetings have already taken place:
There was a meeting with the elected members of the steering board. There was also a meeting with the representatives of the cooperating health insurance funds. On 19th November 2018, an international telephone conference between CoRe-Net and the advisory board discussed the current results and the direction of the subsequent proposal.
Many thanks to all parties involved for supporting us with their ideas for the second funding phase. We hope to continue CoRe-Net with new ideas in the future.
7. CoRe-Net database
We are pleased about the positive decision of the federal insurance office regarding the transmission of routine data to CoRe-Net. These data can now be transmitted by the four cooperating health insurance funds (DAK Gesundheit, Barmer, pronova BKK and AOK Rheinland/Hamburg). So we can start building the CoRe-Net database. In addition to the SHI routine data, the database contains the primary data and contact information from the CoRe-Net subprojects, structural data regarding health-care providers and social indicators.
Please click here for more information.
8. News in the CoRe-Net subprojects
8.1. LYOL-C
Data collection was completed within the written surveys as well as the in-depth qualitative interviews. In total, in a period of nine months, 365 relatives and affiliated people took part in the postal survey regarding the care in the last year of life in Cologne. The interviews were successfully completed, with 41 people attending. The data are currently being analysed.
In 2018, LYOL-C was represented at the German Congress on Health Care Research. We also presented LYOL-C at the “Köln-Göttinger Fortbildung Palliativmedizin”.
Since November 2018, Alina Kasdorf has supported us as a research assistant in the project.
In early 2019, we will probably carry out the secondary data analysis. In addition, scientific publications are planned in 2019.
Please click here for more information.
8.2. MenDis-CHD
We were able to recruit 330 patients. We are lacking only three more participants in the practices. Currently, the recruitment focus is on hospitals, where we have already enrolled 74 people.
Furthermore, 67 relatives and some physicians agreed to take part in a focus group as well as to complete the questionnaire. For this purpose, we sent out questionnaires by post to physicians treating patients who were already included in the study. We conducted more focus groups in rehabilitation clinics and in hospitals.
Currently, we are still constructing triads, consisting of a patient with CHD, a relative and a care provider/physician, for conducting interviews with these groups. Furthermore, a study protocol was submitted to the journal BMC Psychiatry.
In October 2018, we presented our mixed-methods approach within a poster presentation at the German Congress on Health Care Research in Berlin.
Please click here for more information.
8.3. OrgValue
The analysis of the qualitative interviews with decision-makers and patients concerning the understanding of patient-centred care and its determinants has been completed. The results have been presented at national and international conferences. Currently, we are finalizing the results for publication in international journals. A postal survey was administered in January 2019 with a total of 1,782 decision-makers from GP and specialist practices, outpatient nursing services, inpatient nursing homes, hospitals, outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and psychotherapeutic practices in Cologne. The questionnaire was developed based on our qualitative results, international literature and theoretical concepts on the topic. Our questionnaire development was supported by the collaboration partner network. As an incentive, for every returned questionnaire OrgValue donates 1€ to wir für pänz e.V., which supports families and children coping with difficult life situations.
Please click here for more information.
With best Regards
Prof. Holger Pfaff and Dr. Nadine Scholten, on behalf of the applicants
