The School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Oldenburg is once again receiving financial support. The district of Ammerland - on behalf of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft (AG) der Landkreise und kreisfreien Städte Weser-Ems - and the city of Oldenburg are providing a total of one million euros over the next five years for the "Department of Health Services Research", which is currently being established.
The two donors will each contribute half of the amount. Jörg Bensberg, District Administrator of the Ammerland district, Oldenburg's Lord Mayor Prof. Dr Gerd Schwandner and University President Prof. Dr Babette Simon signed the foundation agreement today at the university. The funds will be used for the financing and equipping of professorships in the field of healthcare research. In addition to the district of Ammerland, the AG includes the districts of Aurich, Cloppenburg, Emsland, Friesland, Grafschaft Bentheim, Leer, Oldenburg, Osnabrück, Vechta, Wesermarsch and Wittmund as well as Klinikum Delmenhorst gGmbH and the city of Emden.
"We expressly see the provision of the foundation funds as start-up funding for the area of healthcare research, combined with the expectation that the state of Lower Saxony will ensure that the professorships will be permanent beyond the founding period and thus secure a sustainable location for healthcare research," said District Administrator Bensberg. "For us, it is also essential that the regional clinics and the local medical profession are involved in the expansion of the training and further education programme in order to strengthen medical care in rural areas."
"There are two levels here. On the one hand, healthcare research is a key factor for the future of the healthcare sector. Expertise in this area will be important and valuable. Secondly, the foundation is a sign of the region: we are proud of the EMS - and we are convinced of its qualities and potential," emphasised Lord Mayor Schwandner.
University President Simon said at the signing of the foundation agreement: "We see the commitment of the founders as a great appreciation of the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen and as a sign of confidence in what we can achieve with university medicine for the people in the city and region."
Alongside neurosciences, healthcare research is a research focus of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. While neuroscience is already firmly anchored at the University of Oldenburg and enjoys an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally, healthcare research - which the German Research Foundation (DFG) has certified as highly relevant - is currently being developed. "The generous foundation gives us the opportunity to significantly strengthen the focus on health services research. For example, the fields of general medicine and health economics could be supplemented with additional resources in order to develop Oldenburg into a particularly attractive location for health services research," explains Prof. Dr Dr H.-Jürgen Appelrath, Vice Dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The establishment of the Department of Health Services Research is intended to establish three fields of research: health care epidemiology, quality research and data integration and analysis. Close co-operation with clinics, research institutions and business partners in the region is planned.
Healthcare epidemiology focuses on questions relating to the healthcare situation and the treatment of selected diseases and symptoms. The aim is to provide a database on the healthcare situation and the specific treatment of diseases. The aim is to localise and, if necessary, channel overuse, underuse and misuse.
In the second field of research, scientists are focussing on the quality of care. This involves the quality assurance of care structures and processes. The research findings are intended to contribute to the further development and improvement of patient care.
Data integration and analysis - the third focus area - aims to overcome the information technology barriers that still exist today. At the centre is the change towards long-term patient-centred information systems. The scientists are working on interdisciplinary legal, data protection and ethical issues.