OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the subjective views of general practitioners on the applicability of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5 (ASRS-5) as a screening tool for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults in general practice.
METHODS: Eleven general practitioners, who had participated in the validation study of the German version of the ASRS-5, were interviewed. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview guide was designed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz.
RESULTS: The ASRS-5 seems to work well in general medical practice. But there is evidence for a lack of knowledge about ADHD in adults among general practitioners and a demand for further training in this area. Moreover, insufficient possibilities for subsequent treatment after a positive ADHD screening were claimed.
CONCLUSIONS: In general medicine, the introduction of a screening using ASRS-5 in cases of clinical suspicion could be the first step towards improving the management of adult patients with ADHD.
CONCLUSIONS: Optimizing the management of adults with ADHD requires additional information and training initiatives to support early diagnosis especially in the primary care setting, and to reveal treatment options and care concepts for adults with ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Postgraduate training in general medicine should be oriented on competencies and profession-forming, as is suggested by the German Regulations on Specialist Training of federal and state governments and the Competence-based Curriculum General Medicine. The learnability of general practitioner (GP) roles and the profession-forming orientation of the postgraduate training conditions during the outpatient postgraduate training period were investigated.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study in questionnaire design was conducted from October until December 2019 among 220 physicians in postgraduate training who were registered at the Association of Statutory Health Insurance-Accredited Physicians in Rhineland-Palatinate for the specialty of general medicine. The GP roles surveyed were based on the \"CanMEDS General Medicine\" roles. Using indicators created from the didactic model \"Cognitive Apprenticeship\", profession-forming alignment of postgraduate training conditions in the GP practices were studied. The data obtained were analysed descriptively.
RESULTS: The response of 70 evaluable questionnaires included a gender distribution of 51 female and 18 male family medicine residents. The family medicine residents were almost equally divided between single-handed practices, cooperating practice associations and group practices. Slightly more than half of the female physicians worked part-time, whereas the male physicians were all full-time employees. The roles of \"member of an interprofessional team\", \"health advocate\" and \"medical expert\" were perceived as learnable by 70 to 90% of the family medicine residents. In addition to approval, varying degrees of indecision and rejection were expressed regarding the learnability of the roles of \"teacher/scholar\", \"member of a network\" and \"employer\". A slight majority considered the appropriation of the role of \"practice manager\" to be critical. Within the survey of profession-forming postgraduate training conditions, the indicators \"accessible contact person\", \"collegial appreciation\" and \"assumption of responsibility\" were approved by more than 90% in some cases. The indicators \"access to GP acting\" (approx. 86%) and \"resilience\" (approx. 71%) also received high approval ratings. However, the indicator \"continuous feedback\" only received a slight majority of approval.
CONCLUSIONS: GP postgraduate training practices in Rhineland-Palatinate apparently offer suitable educational locations to family medicine residents to acquire a solid basis for professional practising and the skills for patient-oriented communicating of preventive health-promoting contents. Male physicians seem to follow more traditional professional hierarchies. In contrast, female physicians are more receptive to teamwork but tend to be sceptical about adopting a leadership position. The learnability of particular GP roles may benefit from close collaboration with the practice owner, especially in single-handed practices. In addition, the working time model chosen seems to have an effect.
CONCLUSIONS: It can be assumed that profession-forming postgraduate training conditions predominate in Rhineland-Palatinate GP postgraduate training practices, where the role of \"medical expert\" also appeared to be learnable in most cases. In some cases the learnability of GP roles was significantly influenced by the factors \"gender\", \"working time model\" and \"form of practice\". Consequently, it could have a quality-enhancing impact if these factors were taken into account in the development of measures to realize competence orientation in GP postgraduate training.

BACKGROUND: Climate change is the greatest threat to human health and therefore has a direct impact on the work of physicians. At the same time, the health sector is also an originator of pollutants that burden the climate. The concept of Planetary Health describes, among other things, ways in which the health sector can counter the effects of climate change. Nevertheless, the inclusion of contents on sustainable action in the education of health professionals has not been made mandatory to date. The aim of this study is to answer the question of how an intervention has to be designed so that medical students specifically develop an interest in dealing with the topic on their own.
METHODS: The intervention consisted ofFor evaluation purposes, a qualitative study with guided focus group interviews of attendees was conducted. The fully transcribed focus group transcripts were analysed using Mayring\'s structuring qualitative content analysis. Additionally, we checked the semester evaluation for feedback on the intervention.
RESULTS: Four focus groups comprising n = 14 medical students (11 female, 3 male) were conducted. Dealing with Planetary Health as a topic during medical education was considered relevant. The partially restrained to negative reaction of the teaching practice staff involved to the checklist had a demotivating effect. A lack of time was given as a further reason for not dealing with the topic independently. Participants suggested integrating specific Planetary Health content in mandatory courses and considered environmental medicine to be especially suited. As a didactic method, case-based working in small groups seemed to be particularly appropriate. In the semester evaluation, we found both approving and critical commentaries.
CONCLUSIONS: Participants considered Planetary Health a relevant topic in the context of medical education. The intervention proved to be of limited use in motivating students to deal with the topic independently. A longitudinal integration of the topic in the medical curriculum seems to be appropriate.
CONCLUSIONS: From the students\' perspective, it is important to teach and acquire knowledge and skills regarding to Planetary Health in the future. Despite a high level of interest, additional offers are not being utilised due to a lack of time and should therefore be made part of the mandatory curriculum, where possible.

BACKGROUND: Measures against the COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions in ambulatory health care in Germany. While the restrictions have been described from claims data, the patients\' perspective has been missing. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-, inter- and asexual persons (LGBTIA) might have been particularly affected by these restrictions because of their vulnerability. Thus, our research questions were: 1) How did the restrictions during the pandemic influence primary care and psychotherapy in Germany from the patients\' perspective? 2) Are there differences between LGBTIA and cis-heterosexual persons regarding these restrictions?
METHODS: We conducted an online survey with two survey waves in March/April 2020 and January/February 2021. Sampling was conducted via multiplicators and via snowball sampling. Amongst others, the survey contained open-ended questions regarding primary care and psychotherapy. From the answers of the first survey wave we constructed quantitative items for the second survey wave. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was conducted, including linear regression with R.
RESULTS: 6,784 participants took part in the survey (2,641 in the first survey wave), 5,442 of whom identified as LGBTIA. Categories of changes in primary care were: no health care utilization, no changes in primary care, insecurity regarding primary care, and changes in primary care which could be less frequent utilization, differing procedures or changes in ways of communication. In the second wave, LGBTIA participants rated the worsening of primary care during the pandemic as being more pronounced. Regarding psychotherapy, the change can be described as no change in care, changes in the form of therapy, treatment in emergencies only and a longer break from psychotherapy. There was no different rating by LGBTIA persons compared to cis-heterosexual persons in the second survey wave. Telephone and video consultations were more common in psychotherapy than in primary care.
CONCLUSIONS: LGBTIA persons were oversampled, so the sample included more people from urban areas than the German population. Due to the online survey form, older people were underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general German population.
CONCLUSIONS: With respect to future pandemics general practitioners in primary care must be prepared that psychotherapy might be paused and delayed for some time. Video and telephone consultations should be offered to overcome pandemic-related restrictions in the future. General practitioners should know the gender identity and sexual orientation of their patients in order to proactively address health care barriers.

BACKGROUND: Specific questions often arise in the context of consultations regarding, for example, diagnostics and therapeutic management. This case-specific search for information is referred to as point-of-care information. In recent years, it has been influenced by an increase in digitalization and by the development of medical expert systems providing information for medical professionals. Data on the search behavior of German general practitioners (GPs) using digital media for obtaining point-of-care information have so far not been available. The aims of this study were to describe occasion-related point-of-care information as a function of the continuing education status and to identify requirements for online research platforms.
METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey, 829 GP specialists (FÄ) and 475 physicians in training (ÄiW) were invited to answer a self-developed, partially standardized questionnaire.
RESULTS: In total, 356 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 27%). Of these, 241 (68%) were answered by FÄ and 110 (31%) by ÄiW; five participants did not provide information on their specialist status. 66% of the FÄ and 89% of the ÄiW look up information every day. 46% of the FÄ and 73% of the ÄiW use their smartphone for this purpose. Both groups most often search for medical content (94%) and for information on medications (84%). Medical expert systems are more often used by ÄiW than by FÄ; 59% of the FÄ and 82% of the ÄiW are willing to pay a fee for these services. A quick overview and relevance of information were perceived as important criteria for good information sources.
CONCLUSIONS: German GPs frequently search for occasion-related information. There are generation-related differences regarding, among other things, the use of and the receptiveness to fee-based expert systems. The clarity of presentation and the relevance of the information provided are important requirements of effective information platforms.
CONCLUSIONS: The quick search for evidence-based information relevant to clinical practice presents a challenge, particularly in broad-range specialties such as general medicine. Web-based sources are becoming increasingly popular in this regard - a trend likely to intensify in future generations of physicians. This offers great potential for medical expert systems and app-based access to best-practice guidelines. These formats should be further developed in collaboration with scientific professional societies.

BACKGROUND: Quality indicators to assess the quality of primary care have only been applied on a national or regional level in European countries, and there have been no comparisons between regions of different countries. In the interventional pre-post-study \"Improvement of Quality by Benchmarking - IQuaB\" (level of evidence: 3), we aimed to improve and compare quality of process care in 57 participating general practices in Salzburg, Austria, and South Tyrol, Italy.
METHODS: The intervention consisted of self-audit, benchmarking and quality circles. Quality indicators for eight common chronic diseases (e. g., diabetes) were extracted from the electronic health records in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Based on 19 quality indicators, a supra-regional quality score was calculated and compared using Mann-Whitney U tests.
RESULTS: A relatively weak baseline performance was identified in both regions. In all three assessments, the median quality score increased in both regions and was significantly higher in South Tyrol than in Salzburg. During the study period the median supra-regional quality score increased from 20.00 to 38.00 in the Salzburg sample and from 47.00 to 79.50 in the South Tyrolian sample. The differences between the two regions were significant at baseline and after intervention (2012: p=0.015, 2014: p=0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Despite data extraction challenges in Austria, we are convinced that our data highlight real differences in (processual) quality of care between the two regions.
CONCLUSIONS: The reasons underlying the persisting differences between the two regions may include: (1) different functions in electronic health records, (2) benchmarking as an integral part of the electronic health record, (3) gate-keeping system and use of registration lists, (4) state-supported quality initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Contrary to current guideline recommendations, second-line antibiotics are still frequently used in the ambulatory treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI), which are associated with a high risk of antibiotic resistance development. The REDARES project (REDuction of Antibiotic RESistance in uncomplicated urinary tract infections by treatment according to national guidelines in ambulatory care), funded by the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA)/Innovation Fund is developing a multimodal intervention for primary care physicians to support them in a guideline-based approach. The intervention consists of the following components: (1) provision of local resistance data of pathogens of uncomplicated UTI (Robert Koch Institute), (2) concise guideline content on the therapy of uncomplicated UTI for patients (paper and online), and (3) prescription feedback on practice level and benchmarking among the study participants (anonymized). In a participatory approach and as part of the process evaluation, representatives of the intended target group were interviewed in advance about the acceptance and feasibility of the intervention.
METHODS: Using guided individual interviews, Thuringian GPs were interviewed before the start of the intervention phase. Following a description of the study concept and the planned components of the intervention, the interviewees were asked about their assessment regarding acceptance and feasibility. The individual interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analyzed according to Mayring.
RESULTS: A total of ten interviews with an average duration of 29minutes were conducted and evaluated. 40 per cent of the interviewed GPs were female and, on average, 45 years old. The interviewees described the uncomplicated UTI as an easily manageable condition. The practical nature of the research question was described as a reason to potentially participate in the intervention phase; lack of time or human resources were cited as potential barriers. Regarding the intervention elements, the provision of local resistance data of UTI pathogens was considered beneficial to their own work. The extraction of their own antibiotic prescription data from the practice software was basically assessed as feasible. The interviewees differed in their assessment of whether they would take account of the feedback on their prescribing behavior in their daily work.
CONCLUSIONS: The interviews generated a detailed picture of the different diagnostic and therapeutic pathways used by respondents for uncomplicated UTI. Overall, they predominantly regarded both the study concept and the intervention components as feasible. Although the study population is small and not representative, some of the results seem to be transferable to other regions in Germany.
CONCLUSIONS: A research question relating to their daily routine can increase participation of primary care physicians in (intervention) studies. Starting the process evaluation before the intervention seems to be reasonable since the results will be integrated into the design of the intervention. The method of data extraction from practice software by practice teams seems to be promising.

BACKGROUND: The Competence Centre for Residency Training in Family Medicine Bavaria (CCRTB) was established to improve the quality of postgraduate medical training by offering additional seminars and mentoring programmes as well as regular \'train-the-trainer\' courses for educating physicians. In addition, residents have the opportunity to participate in a regional training network.
OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the burden of burnout and the importance of the learning environment in the clinical training phase.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which comprises the scales \"Emotional Exhaustion\", \"Depersonalisation\" and \"Personal Accomplishment\". The quality of the learning environment was recorded using the German version of the Dutch Residency Educational Climate Test (D-RECT German). In addition, multivariable linear regressions were performed to estimate the impact of learning environment, year of training and participation in a regional network on the level of burnout.
RESULTS: 129 clinical residents enrolled in the CCRTB were invited to participate in the study, 78 (61%) of whom submitted a response. 76 (59%) of these residents were included in the analyses. The present study discloses an increased burden of burnout among residents in the clinical training phase, with approx. 40% reaching a critical burnout score. A higher quality of the learning environment was associated with significantly milder burnout symptoms on the majority of the D-RECT scales.
CONCLUSIONS: Family medicine residents in the clinical training phase show a high burden of burnout. Therefore, increasing the quality of the learning environment appears to be an effective key element in achieving a reduction of burnout in clinical training. This might contribute to an increase in professional satisfaction, which finally may also prevent migration from the medical profession.

BACKGROUND: Due to individual care needs, the provision of care to patients with two or more chronic diseases (multimorbidity) is described as complex. In addition, the number of chronically ill people is increasing, due in part to demographic changes which pose a challenge, especially for outpatient primary care. In order to fulfil patients\' needs and to promote self-management as a central care element of chronically ill patients, the use of eHealth applications increases. TelePraCMan will be developed as one of these applications and includes a symptom-based electronic diary, which will be implemented in the established German disease management programme \'PraCMan\'. This study is conducted as a part of the TelePraCMan project and aims to detect the needs of potential end users (physicians, medical assistants, patients).
METHODS: In the TelePraCMan development phase, an explorative cross-sectional study was conducted with potential end users of the TelePraCMan app (patients, physicians and medical assistants). For this purpose, a written survey was conducted in Baden-Wurttemberg between April 2019 and March 2020. The survey covered smartphone usage behaviour, technology affinity using the standardised questionnaire TA-EG, support network for technical questions and sociodemographic data.
RESULTS: A total of n=202 patients (n=98), physicians (n=58) and medical assistants (n=43) participated in the survey. Concerning smartphone use, 78.2 % of the participants stated that the function used most frequently was writing short messages. Health apps were the least used function (9.6 %). Furthermore, patients (12.6 %) use health apps more often than medical assistants (10.3%) and doctors (4.4 %). Participants aged 50 and younger were found to have a higher affinity for technology (mean=3.20, SD=0.51) than participants over 50 years of age (mean=2.98, SD=0.67). Older, multimorbid respondents had a particularly low affinity for technology (mean=2.52, SD=0.69). 10.9 % of the over-fifties and 12.5 % of the multimorbid persons felt able to fix any technical problems on their own without help. Multimorbid participants over the age of 50 were observed to prefer personal support over internet-based support.
CONCLUSIONS: On average, multimorbid respondents in the age group over 50 have a lower affinity for technology than respondents aged under 50 without multimorbidity. The most frequent negative attitude towards electronic devices is also found among patients over 50 years of age, who are expected to be the main target group of the TelePraCMan app. These findings can be used to derive requirements for the design and development of functions of the app, as well as accompanying measures, such as intuitive and simple user interface, a telephone hotline to support users, close consultation with users on the planned functions, and more.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on this survey, we were able to determine the needs of the future target group of the TelePraCMan app. This is seen as a starting point for the development of an implementation strategy and the pilot testing of the app in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Up to 90% of people at the end of life are in need of palliative care. The majority can be cared for within general outpatient palliative care (AAPV) by general practitioners. Previous studies have described outpatient palliative care to fall short behind the estimated needs and to be initiated rather late in the health care process. Yet, little is known about the development of outpatient palliative care in recent years and about the parameters influencing its utilisation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the number and time of initiation for AAPV and specialised outpatient palliative care (SAPV) in a rural and small-town region in Lower Saxony on the basis of routinely collected general practice data. Furthermore, this study sought to estimate the influence of various parameters related to patients, practices and physicians on the provision of AAPV and SAPV.
METHODS: All general practitioners (n=190) in two counties in Lower Saxony were invited to take part in the project \"Optimal care at the end of life - OPAL\" (Innovation Fund, 01VSF17028) between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. In the participating practices, clinical data pertaining to patients with statutory health insurance, who had died in the second or third quarter of 2018, were collected in pseudonymised form and analysed using selected indicators for end-of-life care. The number of hospital stays and the provision of AAPV and SAPV were the subject of the descriptive analyses. In order to take the cluster effect of the practices into account, mixed-model analyses were carried out.
RESULTS: The data of 279 deceased patients (48% female; median age 82 years) from 31 general practices were analysed. In the last year of life, AAPV was provided for 78 deceased patients (28.0%) with a median onset of 20 days before death. 52 deceased patients (18.6%) received SAPV with a median onset of 28 days before death, respectively. In the last six months of life, 207 deceased patients (74.2%) were hospitalised at least once. The mixed-model analyses showed a greater probability of receiving AAPV (odds ratio (OR)=3.3) or SAPV (OR=3.2) in the last year of life for patients with oncological diseases. It was also shown that GPs with a higher value on the subscale practice organisation billed more AAPV (OR=1.4).
CONCLUSIONS: The number of patients with SAPV is at least equivalent to the estimated needs known from the literature in both selected regions. In contrast, AAPV seems to be provided relatively rarely and rather late in the health care process. Relevant reasons for this may be the lack of concrete criteria for AAPV (e. g., ambiguities and competing codes for billing) as well as prognostic uncertainties of health care providers especially for patients with non-oncological diseases.
CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to further develop end-of-life care should especially strengthen the AAPV provided by general practitioners and focus on patients with non-oncological diseases.