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Aim of the Study: According to the German social insurance code §20 Sec. 1, statutory health insurance companies can reimburse up to 80% of costs incurred by primary prevention programs in physical activity, nutrition, stress management and drug consumption. Whether and how many general practitioners (GPs) provide their patients with information on such programs as part of their own practice is unknown. In this study, we investigate to which primary prevention programs primary care physicians refer their patients and whether they take into account reimbursability of programs., Methods: Between November 2010 and February 2011, all GPs with a practice in Berlin (n=1 168) received a questionnaire that assessed if patients were referred to prevention programs and the type of programs they were referred to, if they ensured they are reimbursable and if they themselves offered prevention programs. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis., Results: Of 474 respondents (response rate: 41%), 67% were female. Of the respondents, 22% offered reimbursable prevention programs and 42% at out-of-pocket expense. Patients were referred to reimbursable programs by 63%. GPs younger than 50 were twice as likely to offer reimbursable programs in their practice compared to those older than 50 (OR=1.7; 95% KI 1.1-2,8; p-value 0.025)., Conclusion: A successful implementation of the new German prevention law needs awareness among GPs about reimbursable prevention programs, which may be lacking in some groups., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The enormous increase of specific medical knowledge has become a growing challenge also for general practitioners (GPs) in their daily routine. In this study, GPs practising in Berlin were asked about their experience with Continuous Medical Education (CME). The evaluation of this survey may help planning future qualification courses. Thirty GPs from Berlin (14 females, 16 males) participated in a qualitative survey and were interviewed about their experience with and the use of CME programmes offered. The interviews performed were summarised, structured, and analysed according to the qualitative analysis of content by Mayring. The GPs considered lack of time to be the general impediment to their further professional development. The patient-oriented communication with specialised colleagues during working hours was considered an important tool of CME. Traditional educational means, for example professional journals, were appreciated because of their flexible use in terms of time and location. Due to the lack of time, GPs may favour types of CME that can be used flexibly. The implementation of professional medical networks between GPs and specialty consultants may have a major impact on future CME programmes.