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This corrigendum addresses an error in the assumptions made during the extrapolation of data from the German pension insurance in an article titled "Estimating the prevalence of alcohol-related disorders and treatment utilization in Bremen 2016/2017 through routine data linkage." The corrected figures show that 72.6% of individuals with alcohol dependence had a diagnosis documented, and 10% of individuals used addiction-specific care services. The correction also provides additional information about the German pension insurance and the funding of rehabilitation treatments. The study estimates that there were 614 individuals receiving addiction rehabilitation in Bremen, with 72.6% having a corresponding diagnosis and 10.7% receiving addiction-specific care measures. The estimated number of individuals with alcohol dependence in Bremen in 2017 was 15,792, with 73% receiving a corresponding diagnosis and 11% using addiction-specific care measures. The article acknowledges limitations and provides detailed extrapolations in Supplementary Tables and Figures. [Extracted from the article]

Background: In Germany, most individuals with alcohol dependence are recognized by the health care system and about 16% per year receive addiction-specific care. This paper aimed to analyze the prevalence and treatment utilization rate of people with alcohol dependence by type of addiction-specific care in the federal state of Bremen using routine and survey data. Methods: The number of individuals with alcohol dependence was estimated using data from the 2018 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA). Furthermore, linked routine data of two statutory health insurances (SHIs), the German pension insurance (GPI), and the communal hospital group Gesundheit Nord - Bremen Hospital Group (GeNo), from 2016/2017, were analyzed. Based on SHI data, the administrative prevalence of various alcohol-related diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), in various treatment settings, was extrapolated to the total population of Bremen. Based on all routine data sources, treatment and care services for individuals with alcohol dependence were also extrapolated to Bremen's total population. Care services included outpatient addiction care visits and addiction-specific treatments, [i.e., qualified withdrawal treatment (QWT), outpatient pharmacotherapy as relapse prevention, and rehabilitation treatment]. Results: Of the survey-estimated 15,792 individuals with alcohol dependence in Bremen, 72.6% (n = 11,467) had a diagnosis documented with an ICD-10 code for alcohol dependence (F10.2) or withdrawal symptoms (F10.3-F10.4). One in ten individuals with alcohol dependence (n = 1,689) used one or more addiction-specific care services during the observation period. Specifically, 4.3% (n = 675) received outpatient addiction care, 4.7% (n = 736) initiated QWT, 0.8% (n = 133) received pharmacotherapy, and 3.9% (n = 614) underwent rehabilitation treatment. The share of seeking addiction-specific treatment after diagnosis was highest among younger and male patients. Conclusion: Although more than half of the individuals with alcohol dependence are documented in the health system, utilization rates of addiction-specific treatments are low. These low utilization rates suggest that there are existing barriers to transferring patients with alcohol dependence into addiction-specific care. Strengthening primary medical care provision in dealing with alcohol-related disorders and improving networking within the addiction support system appear to be particularly appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although many individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) are recognized in the German healthcare system, only a few utilize addiction-specific treatment services. Those who enter treatment are not well characterized regarding their prospective pathways through the highly fragmented German healthcare system. This paper aims to (1) identify typical care pathways of patients with AD and their adherence to treatment guidelines and (2) explore the characteristics of these patients using routine data from different healthcare sectors. Methods: We linked routinely collected register data of individuals with a documented alcohol-related diagnosis in the federal state of Bremen, Germany, in 2016/2017 and their addiction-specific health care: two statutory health insurance funds (outpatient pharmacotherapy for relapse prevention and inpatient episodes due to AD with and without qualified withdrawal treatment (QWT)), the German Pension Insurance (rehabilitation treatment) and a group of communal hospitals (outpatient addiction care). Individual care pathways of five different daily states of utilized addiction-specific treatment following an index inpatient admission due to AD were analyzed using state sequence analysis and cluster analysis. The follow-up time was 307 days (10 months). Individuals of the clustered pathways were compared concerning current treatment recommendations (1: QWT followed by postacute treatment; 2: time between QWT and rehabilitation). Patients' characteristics not considered during the cluster analysis (sex, age, nationality, comorbidity, and outpatient addiction care) were then compared using a multinomial logistic regression. Results: The analysis of 518 individual sequences resulted in the identification of four pathway clusters differing in their utilization of acute and postacute treatment. Most did not utilize subsequent addiction-specific treatment after their index inpatient episode (n = 276) or had several inpatient episodes or QWT without postacute treatment (n = 205). Two small clusters contained pathways either starting rehabilitation (n = 26) or pharmacotherapy after the index episode (n = 11). Overall, only 9.3% utilized postacute treatment as recommended. Conclusions: A concern besides the generally low utilization of addiction-specific treatment is the implementation of postacute treatments for individuals after QWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Germany, most individuals with alcohol dependence are recognized by the health care system and about 16% per year receive addiction-specific care. This paper aimed to analyze the prevalence and treatment utilization rate of people with alcohol dependence by type of addiction-specific care in the federal state of Bremen using routine and survey data. Methods: The number of individuals with alcohol dependence was estimated using data from the 2018 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA). Furthermore, linked routine data of two statutory health insurances (SHIs), the German pension insurance (GPI), and the communal hospital group Gesundheit Nord - Bremen Hospital Group (GeNo), from 2016/2017, were analyzed. Based on SHI data, the administrative prevalence of various alcohol-related diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), in various treatment settings, was extrapolated to the total population of Bremen. Based on all routine data sources, treatment and care services for individuals with alcohol dependence were also extrapolated to Bremen's total population. Care services included outpatient addiction care visits and addiction-specific treatments, [i.e., qualified withdrawal treatment (QWT), outpatient pharmacotherapy as relapse prevention, and rehabilitation treatment]. Results: Of the survey-estimated 15,792 individuals with alcohol dependence in Bremen, 72.4% (n = 11,427) had a diagnosis documented with an ICD-10 code for alcohol dependence (F10.2) or withdrawal state (F10.3-4). One in 10 individuals with alcohol dependence (n = 1,577) used one or more addiction-specific care services during the observation period. Specifically, 3.7% (n = 675) received outpatient addiction care, 3.9% (n = 736) initiated QWT, 0.8% (n = 133) received pharmacotherapy, and 2.6% (n = 405) underwent rehabilitation treatment. The share of seeking addiction-specific treatment after diagnosis was highest among younger and male patients. Conclusion: Although more than half of the individuals with alcohol dependence are documented in the health system, utilization rates of addiction-specific treatments are low. These low utilization rates suggest that there are existing barriers to transferring patients with alcohol dependence into addiction-specific care. Strengthening primary medical care provision in dealing with alcohol-related disorders and improving networking within the addiction support system appear to be particularly appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the German guidelines, people with severe alcohol use disorders (AUDs) should receive withdrawal treatment. Compared to somatic withdrawal treatment (SWT), extended duration and psychosocial elements of so-called "qualified withdrawal treatment" (QWT) aim to reduce relapse rates. Despite promising results of prospective studies on QWT, only few German inpatients seeking withdrawal treatment receive QWT. We estimated the potential effects on mortality and morbidity for higher proportions of treatment-seeking patients receiving QWT rather than SWT in the German city of Bremen.Methods: In 2016 and 2017, 2051 inpatients were admitted to two specialised hospitals for withdrawal treatment. The potential beneficial effects of QWT over SWT were estimated by simulating treatment outcomes taken from two prospective studies. Outcomes comprised number and length of all-cause hospitalisations within 5 years, as well as abstinence and all-cause mortality rates within 28 months. Outcomes were estimated for actual and increased rates of QWT (25, 50%) among inpatients seeking alcohol treatment.Results: In the selected hospitals, 170 patients (8%) received QWT. If 25% of AUD inpatients were to receive QWT, benefits in abstinence rates (+ 18%), the total number of hospitalisations (- 9%) and hospital days (- 10%) could be expected. If 50% of AUD inpatients were to receive QWT, benefits in abstinence rates (+ 45%), the total number of hospitalisations (- 23%) and hospital days (- 26%) were more pronounced, in addition to reductions in mortality (- 20%).Conclusion: Increasing the proportion of people with severe AUD enrolled in extended withdrawal treatment programs (such as QWT) may contribute to reduce overall alcohol-attributable burden of disease. Randomised controlled trials or other prospective studies controlling for confounding factors are needed to determine the potential at the population level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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