Versorgungsforschung bei Demenz

Abstract

Background: In the last few years, health services research has become an important field of research and has attracted higher attention than ever before. As the so called "last mile of the health care System" the field is supposed to analyze complex and conflicting problems of health care and eventually develop and evaluate measures to improve health care. The aim of the present endeavor is to integrate three conducted research studies on specific questions in dementia care into the current health services research activities in dementia. It provides an overview of the current care situation, examined topics and used methods. Methodology: In the present study, a systematic literature search has been conducted investigating the health care situation of persons with dementia in Germany between 2011 and 2016. Current research activities are presented as well as the actual health care situation of dementia patients, including the used methods and data sources. The cumulative dissertation at hand includes the author s studies investigating and analyzing trends in the use of antipsychotics, time until nursing home admission and feeding tube provision in dementia patients. Results: An increase of research activities in the field of "health care research in dementia" could be observed during the past five years. The identified studies reveal a very broad thematic variety. The research landscape is characterized by quantitative studies, mainly in outpatient settings and by observational studies. Mostly, a connection between primary and secondary data is not established. In some areas of pharmaceutical supply deficits have been revealed. In addition, an examination of the care situation is often independent of the stage of the disease and the palliative phase of dementia is frequently not considered. A clear research gap can also be shown for inpatient hospital care. Conclusion: Over the last few years, health care research has evolved into an important discipline and will continue to grow due to current policy measures in Germany. Also, an increase in studies in health services research investigating dementia could be identified in recent years. The wide range of topics covered by the fielda s research reveals deficits. The author s three pioneering studies provide information on specific care situations and the status quo of the care of dementia patients for the first time.