MHB hosts 1st Brandenburg Congress on Health Services Research

Neuruppin, 13 September 2019

The ceremonial hall of the Ruppiner Kliniken in Neuruppin was the location of the 1st Brandenburg Congress on Health Services Research today, organised by the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB). The event was attended by two members of the Brandenburg government: Dr. Martina Münch (science, research and cultural affairs) and Susanna Karawanskij (labour, social affairs, health, women and families).

Addressing about 80 participants, MHB president Prof. Edmund Neugebauer quoted insufficient medical services in many regions in Brandenburg as one of the reasons why the MHB was founded five years ago: “Health services research needs to provide relief, explore approaches to improve the situation, and implement successful projects for the benefit of patients in practice. We are pleased to welcome renowned experts and practitioners in the field, and we see the attendance of Brandenburg’s ministers of science and of health as a clear indication that the focus of this congress is of high political relevance.”

Science Minister Dr. Martina Münch called health services research a comparatively young but increasingly important discipline in health sciences. She said she highly appreciated the MHB’s focus on health care research, specifically in view of the situation in Brandenburg: “What we are building up here could be exemplary for other regions.” She pointed to demographic developments and an ageing population and the resulting need to set the right course and ensure the provision of high-quality medical and nursing care in the state of Brandenburg.

Subsequently, Health Minister Susanna Karawanskij presented measures and projects which aim to ensure high-quality community-based medical care in all regions of Brandenburg, as part of general public services. Against the background of the existing shortage of skilled labour and an ageing population, requirements will change progressively so that new ways will have to be explored. In this context the Minister praised the pioneering role of the MHB and its particular format of medical education with resulting benefits for care in less populated areas.

Dr. Günther Jonitz as president of the Medical Association Berlin gave a speech on value based health care where he underlined the importance of values in health care. A healthy care system, so Jonitz, is based on and oriented towards values, learns continuously, relies on collaboration and requires wise and appreciative leadership. “What we need”, so Jonitz in conclusion, “is a system switch.” Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hoffmann (director, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Greifswald) presented examples of successful health services research in Germany.

The event was meant to bring health system practitioners together with researchers to discuss issues of health care provision and generate research projects. Accordingly, workshops were the predominant format in the afternoon. Based on key research interests at the MHB such as geriatric medicine, cardiovascular topics, carcinoma and mental health, participants discussed approaches and methods from care research and their applications in day-today care with the idea to identify, analyse and solve practical problems of care provision.

For the detailed congress programme click here.

For further questions you may contact Hannah Leichsenring, by phone at 03391 39-14175 

and by email at hannah.leichsenrin@mhb-fontane.de.