The Chronic Pain Research Alliance (CPRA) exists to provide a voice for the millions of people suffering with multiple pain conditions, termed Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs). These conditions come at a high cost -to the individuals affected by them, their loved ones and to our health care system and society at large. Misdiagnosis is all too common, coordinated medical care is lacking, and safe and effective treatments are sparse.Why is this? A major reason is that only $1.06 per affected person is invested in researching these conditions by the federal government.We are working tirelessly to change that! For meaningful change to occur in the lives of those suffering from COPCs, CPRA understands that all invested stakeholders must work together. This includes patients affected by COPCs and their loved ones, clinicians who care for them, scientists researching these conditions, companies working to develop better and more effective treatments, federal and private research agencies who support research studies, advocacy organizations working to improve the lives of people with these conditions and legislators who affect change through public policy.With the ultimate goal of advancing timely diagnoses and effective evidence-based medical management for individuals affected by COPCs, the CPRA works with invested stakeholders to:1 -Promote high-quality research on chronic overlapping pain conditions 2 -Translate research findings into information for patients and educational training programs for clinicians 3 -Drive the development of safe and effective treatments for these conditions CPRA's Vision for the Future With the advancement of initiatives called for by the CPRA, we envision a future where individuals with COPCs will receive a timely and accurate diagnosis, following by high-quality, comprehensive medical care that is informed by the latest and most rigorous scientific evidence.In the process, these goals will be attained: Increased federal and private investment in COPCs research that is coordinated, standardized and collaborative  Informed and educated health care professionals  Informed and empowered patients  Development of safe and effective therapies specific to COPCs  Maximized taxpayer dollars and decreased costsTo learn more, please visit: www.ChronicPainResearch.org.

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Results correspond greatly to findings of epidemiologic surveys. However, the lower rate of depression diagnosis and prescription rates in East Germany might also be due to fewer mental health professionals practising there and possible differences in reporting style of emotional symptoms. This might contribute to the differences in diagnosis and prescription prevalence but cannot be solely responsible for this phenomenon. Probable causes of the different depression prevalence rates in East and West Germany will be discussed in this analysis. More research into factors impacting on regional differences in the prevalence of depression is needed.

In Kontrast zu 780.000 hochbetagten und multimorbiden Menschen in deutschen Pflegeheimen steht die umfassend untersuchte Fehlversorgung in diesen Einrichtungen. Der Optimierungsbedarf zur Versorgungstransparenz und-qualität ist erheblich. Ausgehend von der These, dass ein multidimensionaler, sektoren-und berufsübergreifender Blick auf die Versorgungsqualität im Pflegeheim erforderlich ist, testeten die Autoren erstmals in Deutschland die Nutzung von Routinedaten der Kranken-und Pflegekassen (AOK) für diesen Kontext. Hierfür wurden insgesamt sechs Kennzahlen zur Arzneimittelversorgung, zu nosokomialen Erkrankungen, zu Hospitalisierungen sowie zur haus-und fachärztlichen Versorgung im Pflegeheim entwickelt und empirisch getestet. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass die Operationalisierung routinedatenbasierter Qualitätskennzahlen für das stationäre Pflegesetting machbar ist. Auch die zum Teil erheblichen Versorgungsunterschiede zwischen den Pflegeheimen werden transparent gemacht. Auf der Agenda stehen nun die methodische Schärfung und Risikoadjustierung, damit langfristig routinedatenbasierte Qualitätsindikatoren die Entwicklung der pflegeheiminternen Qualität und die Versorgungstransparenz für die Pflegekassen empirisch unterstützen können. In contrast to 780,000 elderly and multimorbid people in German nursing homes, there is an extensively analysed poor care in these facilities. The need for an improved transparency and quality of care is considerable. Based on the assumption that a multidimensional, cross-sectoral and cross-occupational view of the quality of care in nursing homes is called for, the authors tested the use of routine data from health and nursing insurance funds (AOK) for the first time in Germany for this context. For this purpose, a total of six key data on provision of medicines, nosocomial diseases, hospitalisations and general and specialist care in nursing homes were developed and empirically tested. The results show that the operationalisation of routine data-based quality indicators for inpatient care setting is feasible. The sometimes considerable differences in care between nursing homes are also made transparent. Methodological sharpening and risk adjustment are now on the agenda so that routine data-based quality indicators can empirically support the development of nursing home quality and provide transparency for the nursing care insurance funds in the long run.

Statutory health insurance data seems to be a reliable source of epidemiological information that is both easily accessible and longitudinally available, and thus provides important information that is needed for health policy and service planning. With regard to service provision it should be considered that depression in old age is a greater problem than is suggested by most epidemiological surveys.