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DOI: 10.1055/a-2592-5998
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Position paper of the German Network for Health Care Research: What is health care research?

Article in several languages: English | deutsch

Authors

  • Wolfgang Hoffmann

    1   Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
    3   German Network for Health Care Research, Berlin, Germany

  • Martin Härter

    2   Department of Medical Psychology and Center for Health Care Research & Public Health, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

  • Thomas Bierbaum

    3   German Network for Health Care Research, Berlin, Germany

  • Lena Ansmann

    4   Chair of Medical Sociology. Institute for Medical Sociology, Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR). Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne. University of Cologne, Germany

  • Anna Levke Brütt

    2   Department of Medical Psychology and Center for Health Care Research & Public Health, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

  • Karsten Dreinhöfer

    5   Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Park Berlin Humboldtmühle, Berlin, Germany
    6   Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery (CMSC), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany

  • Max Geraedts

    7   Institute for Health Care Research and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Philipps University Marburg, Germany

  • Juliane Köberlein-Neu

    8   Bergisch Centre of Competence for Health Economics and Health Services Research, Faculty of Economics – Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, University of Wuppertal, Germany

  • Nadine Janis Pohontsch

    9   Institute and Polyclinic für General Practice, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

  • Steffi Riedel-Heller

    10   Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health (ISAP), University Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany

  • Horst Christian Vollmar

    11   Department of General Practice (AM RUB), Medical Faculty, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

  • Milena von Kutzleben

    12   Department of Prevention and Rehabilitation Research, Department of Health Care Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

  • Hauke Felix Wiegand

    13   University Hospital Halle, University Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Halle, Germany

  • Fabian Baum

    14   Center for Evidence-Based Health Care, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TU Dresden, Germany

  • Larissa Burggraf

    15   Institute for Human Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

  • Lars Gabrys

    16   Department of Health Sports and Prevention, University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam, Germany

  • Eva Grill

    17   Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany

  • Uta Gühne

    10   Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health (ISAP), University Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany

  • Antje Hammer

    18   Professional Association of Paediatricians (BVKJ). Cologne, Germany

  • Lorenz Harst

    14   Center for Evidence-Based Health Care, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TU Dresden, Germany

  • Angélique Herrler

    19   Department of General Paediatrics, Neonatology and Paediatric Cardiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany

  • Anne Herrmann

    20   Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Medical Sociology, University of Regensburg, Germany
    21   Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III – Haematology and Medical Oncology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
    22   Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), Germany

  • Christian Heuser

    4   Chair of Medical Sociology. Institute for Medical Sociology, Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR). Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne. University of Cologne, Germany

  • Christoph Kowalski

    23   German Cancer Society (DKG), Berlin, Germany

  • Silke Kuske

    24   Research Area of Health Care Research and Implementation Research at the Research Institute of the Fliedner University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

  • Stefanie March

    25   Faculty of Social Work, Health and Media, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany

  • Anne Neumann

    14   Center for Evidence-Based Health Care, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TU Dresden, Germany

  • Stefan Nöst

    26   Study Centre for Health Sciences and Management, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, Stuttgart, Germany

  • Ivonne Panchyrz

    14   Center for Evidence-Based Health Care, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TU Dresden, Germany

  • Stefan Peters

    27   Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute of Sports Science, University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, Neubiberg, Germany

  • Heinrich Recken

    28   Hamburg Distance Learning University; Hamburg, Germany

  • Elisabeth C. Sturm-Inwald

    29   Clinic for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chair of the University of Regensburg, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, Regensburg, Germany

  • Christian Thiel

    30   Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Therapy Sciences, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany
    31   Faculty of Sports Science, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

  • Katharina van Baal

    32   Hannover Medical School, Institute of General Practice and Palliative Medicine, Hannover, Germany

  • Holger Pfaff

    33   Chair of Quality Development and Evaluation in Rehabilitation, Institute for Medical Sociology, Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Human Sciences and Medical Faculty and University Hospital Cologne

  • Jochen Schmitt

    14   Center for Evidence-Based Health Care, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TU Dresden, Germany
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Abstract

The scope and definition of health care research is a matter of discussion in our scientific community. The Board of the German Network for Health Care Research has drafted a position paper that was extensively reviewed and commented upon by all working groups and specialist groups of the network. The present version represents consented common grounds to a large degree but is neither complete nor final. We consider this position paper a living document that will evolve and further converge in an ongoing discussion in the network.

Keywords

Health Care Research - research fields - methodological basis


Publication History

Received: 03 April 2025

Accepted: 11 April 2025

Article published online:
28 August 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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