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Introduction: An important dimension of care and case managers is to support geriatric patients in obtaining social services in medical, nursing, therapeutic and social fields. To this, they advise and represent their patients.Methods: The documentation of patient contacts with case managers of a network of physicians was evaluated. In particular, activities involving legal advice were analysed in detail, compared with the current legal situation in Germany and evaluated. In addition, qualitative expert interviews were conducted. The content and the legal requirements of legal services law were determined by applying legal interpretation methods (esp. wording, telos, systematics). The results of the evaluation of the documentation were compared with legal requirements.Results: Care and case management touches activities in some fields of action without having a legal basis in legal services law. This leads to the fact that these services may not be provided and to - uninsured and uninsurable - liability risks.Discussion: With the introduction of care and case management into standard care, both social law and the Legal Services Act must be adapted to enable the legally compliant use of care and case managers. Otherwise, certain services that are useful for the care of patients may not be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical benefits of early prophylaxis in the treatment of haemophilia have been unquestioned since publication of the results of the first randomized study. The question of whether or not prophylaxis is cost-effective remains to be proven. For European physicians treating haemophilia patients, and for German clinicians in particular, the law largely supports the use of prophylaxis in haemophilia, but many doctors are unaware of this. The aim of this review was therefore to describe the German legal framework and outline how it can be used to support appropriate clinical decision-making in the treatment of haemophilia and justify the use of prophylaxis to health insurers and third-party payers. The German Disability Equalisation Law and German Social Law Books V and IX outline legal requirements to prevent or ameliorate disability, and support the argument that all haemophilia patients, including adults, have the right to receive appropriate, adequate, and cost-effective treatment. "Appropriate" treatment means that it must be in accordance with state-of-the-art medical knowledge taking into account medical progress. "Adequate" treatment must be conducive to the goals of haemophilia management, which are to prevent bleeds, treat bleeding episodes, maintain and/or restore joint function, and integrate patients into a normal social life. This can only be achieved when long-term treatment is adequately dosed and regularly administered for as long as it is required. Thankfully, with the availability of virus-safe factor concentrates, the introduction of home treatment programmes, and the law on our side, we are in a very strong position to achieve these goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital public health applications are becoming increasingly popular; for example, about 45% of smartphone users have health or fitness apps on their devices. Most of these applications transfer the user's personal data to the provider of the health app. Application providers must comply with the relevant data protection statutes.In this article we provide a survey of important data protection requirements and the necessary technical measures for data security that the provider of a health app must observe. This includes - amongst other things - mechanisms for consent, determination of and compliance with the legitimate purposes of the processing, and the granting of so-called "rights of the data subject" (e.g. right of access). Furthermore, the provider of the health application must follow best practice recommendations from the area of data security. Therefore, the provider must ensure that, for example, unauthorized access, manipulation, loss, and destruction of personal data are prevented by appropriate technical and organizational measures. State-of-the-art procedures such as encryption, rights management, securing integrity, pseudonymization, and logging are some examples of technical and organizational measures. When implementing these measures, it must be taken into account that the processing of health data generally entails high risk for the rights and freedoms of the data subjects and that unauthorized access to and/or manipulation of data, for example, can lead to the publication of a stigmatizing diagnosis or incorrect medication.

The aim of the present study was to investigate a new housing system for fattening rabbits with two different flooring designs (F1 and F2) in accordance with new legal requirements in Germany (11 mm slats and 11 mm gaps, elevated platform with 15% perforation), in comparison with an established system with wire mesh flooring (C). While F1 flooring was made of punched slatted plastic panels, F2 consisted of fixed single rods with a rounded surface. In six batches with F1 and C housing, and subsequently three batches with F2 housing, soiling of rabbits' hind feet, pens, and cages as well as mortality rates were recorded. While pens and rabbits in F2 conditions were assessed as being cleaner than F1, neither reached the cleanliness of C rabbits and cages. Mortality was highest in F1 housing (18.1%) and comparable between F2 (10.3%) and C housing (11.7%). The present investigations showed different results in terms of soiling and mortality for different implementations of the German regulations. Nevertheless, both floors in accordance with these requirements revealed hygienic disadvantages compared to the established cages. Further research is necessary in order to keep rabbits under good hygienic conditions and in compliance with legal requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, paternity testing can be ordered by a judge as well as by private persons. In the case of private counselling, the expert has the duty to inform the parties on all medical, legal and ethical aspects. Informed consent must be given by each individual included in an exploration of family relationships. Due to the rapid progress of DNA typing in even minute amounts after polymerase chain reaction amplification, genotypes of short tandem repeat systems can be elicited by extraction from single cells. Therefore, the number of unlawful investigations of paternal relationships is steadily increasing. Here the requirements for paternity testing laboratories and sanctions for unlawful exploration of a person''s genotypes are discussed. A new Federal law should be drafted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]