07.06.2005 - 13/05

Kassel/Germany. A better linking of the in- and outpatient sectors, uniform treatment standards, together with intensive education of the medical personnel are necessary in order to eliminate existing deficits in the treatment of chronic wounds in Germany. This was made clear by experts at the BVMed conference “Wound care in practice – a conflict between costs and quality of care” on 1 June 2005 in Kassel.

The necessary links could be achieved through integrated care concepts. Nikolaus Schmitt from the BARMER health insurance fund and Veronika Gerber from the Aurich Wound Care Centre presented concrete models on these subjects. Specialist Dr Martin Lederle added that a total therapeutic offering covering the basic illness as well as wound care was important.

In the treatment of some 4 million patients with chronic wounds, the advantages of modern wound care are being sufficiently exploited in far too few cases. At the same time, the fear of “punishment” by regress due to apparently high treatment costs is affecting doctors. “This fear is misplaced,” Werner Sellmer, hospital pharmacist and wound care expert, told over 70 delegates to the BVMed conference, including 30 representatives from health insurance funds. Modern wound care did not lead to higher costs, but on the other hand to clearly improved treatment, shorter treatment times and increased quality of life for patients, he said.

Moderator Dr Friedhelm Bartels, member of the BVMed board and medical director of Bristol-Myers Squibb, advocated a better co-ordination of interfaces between hospitals and the outpatient sector. For this reason, it was important to improve the qualifications of all interested parties, to develop treatment guidelines and to define the concept of a wound care specialist, he said. He called on the numerous representatives of the health insurance funds to work together with doctors, care providers and companies to “push this theme to the fore”.

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