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The coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented Germany with major challenges and has led to concerns about patient safety. We conducted an observational, population-based, nationwide, repeated cross-sectional survey on patient safety in Germany in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Each of the three samples consisted of 1000 randomly recruited adults. Self-reported data via computer-assisted telephone interviews were taken from TK Monitor of Patient Safety. Perceptions, experience, and knowledge relating to patient safety were assessed. The majority of respondents considered medical treatment to involve risks to patient safety. This proportion decreased during the pandemic. The majority also had a high degree of self-efficacy regarding the prevention of medical errors, whereby the percentage that felt well informed with regard to patient safety rose throughout the pandemic. The proportion of persons that suspected they had in the past experienced an error in their treatment remained steady at one third as well as the reported errors. In 2020, 65% of respondents thought health communication with service providers (e.g., extent and comprehensibility of information) remained unchanged during the pandemic, while 35% reported that medical appointments had been cancelled or postponed. This study is the first to assess patient safety from a general population perspective during the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. COVID-19 had a positive impact on perceived patient safety but no impact on suspected and reported errors. Self-efficacy with regard to medical error prevention steadily increased in the general population, and people considered themselves well informed.

Namen der Moderierenden sowie der Vortragenden: Moderierende Prof. Dr. med. Christiane Muth, MPH, AG Allgemein- und Familienmedizin, Medizinische Fakultät OWL , Universität Bielefeld Prof. Dr. Marjan van den Akker, Institut für Allgemeinmedizin der Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

Hintergrund: Etwa die Hälfte der Allgemeinbevölkerung nimmt anticholinerg wirksame Arzneimittel ein – Tendenz steigend. Potentielle unerwünschte Arzneimittelwirkungen (UAW) können zunehmen, wenn Arzneimittel mit starken anticholinergen Eigenschaften wie Amitriptylin verwendet [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]

Background/research question: Persons with multimorbidity suffer a disease burden and treatment burden that may negatively affect their family lives, leisure time, and professional activities. This mixed-methods systematic review synthesizes studies and assesses how multimorbidity affects the everyday [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

Patients with multimorbidity and multimedication require special attention from their treating physicians, as the risks of drug interactions and negative effects on adherence increase with the number of drugs. Most guidelines aim for the treatment of a single disease and do not take potential problems due to multimedication into account. In 2021, updates and evidence-based upgrades of the first version (2012) of the German Guidelines on Multimedication were issued. The aim of the article is to introduce the framework of these evidence-based guidelines, which follows the medication process in six steps: (1) inventory and medication assessment; (2) coordination with the patient; (3) prescription proposal and communication; (4) dispensing of medicines; (5) medication application and self-management; and (6) monitoring. For each step, recommendations and practice tips are presented. The central feature is a structured medication review. The target group is patients with multimorbidity and the concurrent use of five or more drugs. The Medication Appropriateness Index has been modified, and the guiding questions are recommended as guidance for the structured medication review. Overuse and undertreatment are taken into account. The guidelines were consented to in a formal process with 15 medical societies, a patient representative, and experts, as well as piloted in general practices.

INTRODUCTION: Older patients with multimorbidity, polypharmacy and related complex care needs represent a growing proportion of the population and a challenge for healthcare systems. Particularly in transitional care (hospital admission and hospital discharge), medical errors, inappropriate treatment, patient concerns and lack of confidence in healthcare are major problems that may arise from a lack of information continuity. The aim of this study is to develop an intervention to improve informational continuity of care at the interface between general practice and hospital care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A qualitative approach will be used to develop our participatory intervention. Overall, 32 semistructured interviews with relevant stakeholders will be conducted and analysed. The stakeholders will include healthcare professionals from the outpatient setting (general practitioners, healthcare assistants, ambulatory care nurses) and the inpatient setting (clinical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, clinical information scientists) as well as patients and informal caregivers. At a series of workshops based on the results of the stakeholder analyses, we aim to develop a participatory intervention that will then be implemented in a subsequent pilot study. The same stakeholder groups will be invited for participation in the workshops. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for this study was waived by the Ethics Committee of Goethe University Frankfurt because of the nature of the proposed study. Written informed consent will be obtained from all study participants prior to participation. Results will be tested in a pilot study and disseminated at (inter)national conferences and via publication in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTATION NUMBER: Clinical Trials Register: registration number DRKS00027649. ispartof: BMJ OPEN vol:12 issue:4 ispartof: location:England status: published