The Research Data Center (FDZ) Health is about to open and promises to revolutionize medical research in Germany. With access to the billing data of 73 million statutory insured persons, the FDZ offers a unique data source for scientists and researchers[1]. Rebecca Alvarado, a representative of the FDZ, explains using the example of Long Covid how this data could be used. It could help answer questions about pre-existing conditions, particularly affected groups, and effective treatment methods[1]. Access to this valuable data is carefully controlled. Interested parties must submit a detailed application outlining their research goals. Upon approval, they will gain access to a virtual analysis environment, with the data itself remaining within the system. This ensures both the security and usability of the information[1]. Starting in summer 2025, anonymized data from electronic health records will also be integrated into the FDZ, beginning with the medication plan. It is important that the… 

There are currently three active hurricanes in the Atlantic, one of which will reach us as a storm depression this Thursday. At the same time, the particularly strong hurricane Milton is making landfall on Florida's coast. What do these hurricanes mean for the affected areas, how does this affect Germany, and can hurricanes even reach Europe if they are still active? 3 questions from Johanna Lindner to Andreas Machalica, meteorologist at wetter.com. How does MILTON differ from other hurricanes, what makes it so particularly dangerous? The special thing is that it developed extremely rapidly at the beginning of this week – as rapidly as a hurricane rarely has before. On Monday, it intensified to Category 5 within 11 hours, which is one of the fastest intensifications since weather records began. The extremely high water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are responsible for this. We currently have about 1… 

Medical treatment errors lead to a considerable number of deaths in Germany every year, although the exact figures are disputed and vary depending on the source. According to the current statistics from the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Funds (MD) for 2023, 75 patients demonstrably died due to treatment errors[1][2]. This figure is based on 12,438 reviewed cases where patients had expressed suspicion of a treatment error[1]. However, experts assume a significantly higher number of unreported cases. Stefan Gronemeyer, Chairman of the MD, refers to estimates suggesting that around 17,000 error-related, preventable deaths could occur annually in German hospitals[1][2]. This assessment is based, among other things, on a study by the Action Alliance Patient Safety[1]. The AOK hospital report provides even more alarming figures. According to this, up to 19,000 patients could die each year due to treatment errors[6]. The report estimates that serious incidents occur in around 190,000 cases, of which about 10 percent are fatal[6]. The discrepancy… 

Insufficient staffing in infection prevention and control is associated with a higher rate of healthcare-associated infections. This is according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control. The study, conducted by the APIC Center for Research, Practice & Innovation, summarizes a pilot project to evaluate a new online calculator designed to provide facility-specific staffing recommendations for infection prevention. Infection prevention and control programs with staffing levels below expectations had significantly higher rates of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides difficile infections, and surgical site infections. For example, 25% of facilities with lower-than-expected staffing had increased CAUTI rates. In comparison, only 7% of hospitals with staffing levels at or above expectations…