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Background: Active transport– for example walking and bicycling to travel from place to place– may improve physical fitness and health and mitigate climate change if it replaces motorised transport. The aim of this study is to analyse the active transport behaviour of adults living in Germany, to investigate differences among population groups and to determine whether climate protection is a frequent motive for this behaviour. Methods: This study uses self-reported data of 4,971 adults who participated in a national health survey (German Health Update 2021), which was conducted as a telephone survey from July to December 2021. Associations between active transport behaviour and corresponding motives with sociodemographic and health-related variables were analysed using logistic regression models. Results: Of the adult population, 83% use active transport at least once a week. The frequency and duration of walking per week are significantly higher than those for bicycling (walking 214 min/week; bicycling 57 min/week). Those with a lower education level are less likely to practise active transport than those with a higher education level. Furthermore, women are less likely to use a bicycle for transport than men. Among those practising active transport, the most frequently mentioned motive is "is good for health" (84%) followed by "to be physically active" (74%) and "is good for the climate/environment" (68%). Women and frequent bicyclists (at least 4 days/week) mention climate protection as a motive more often than men and those bicycling occasionally. Conclusions: The improvement of active transport, especially among people with lower education and women (for bicycling), may benefit from better insights into motives and barriers. Climate protection is an important motivator for practising active transport within the adult population living in Germany and should therefore have greater emphasis in behavioural change programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We conducted a nationwide semi-standardized interview with 1072 drivers in Germany. • Almost 88% of all drivers performed a non-driving-related task. • Passenger presence decreases engagement in other secondary tasks, especially on the phone. • Mobile phone addiction is an indicator for predicting secondary tasks on the phone. • Drivers are more engaged in secondary tasks while leisure than shopping and business trips. One of the leading causes of crashes is the distraction of drivers caused by performing secondary tasks. This study investigated the impact of sociodemographic, contextual factors, and driver characteristics on secondary task engagement while driving in Germany. We conducted a nationwide face-to-face semi-standardized interview study with car drivers in Germany. In total, 1,072 drivers were interviewed. The data of 949 drivers were included in the analysis. Overall, they reported 2,146 secondary tasks. Drivers performed, on average, 2.3 non-driving-related activities (SD = 1.7) during the last 30 min of their trip. Consistent with previous findings, the presence of passengers was associated with a decrease in the amount of other secondary tasks, especially on the mobile phone. Young drivers (<25 years), in particular, were twice as likely to undertake secondary activities on the phone compared to older ones. Among drivers with a high mobile phone addiction score, tasks on the mobile phone were significantly more likely to be performed while driving. During longer trips, more secondary activities are performed within the last 30 min than during short trips (<30 min). Surprisingly, the purpose of the trip also has a significant influence insofar as trips for leisure activities, in particular, are more frequently associated with secondary activities than shopping and business trips. The results of this study help to determine better crash probabilities based on influencing factors, which in turn should form the basis for specific customised information and educational campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Continuous infusion of numerous parenteral medications is common practice in intensive care units (ICU). In contrast to some countries, there is a lack of clearly defined standardized concentrations in Germany, especially for high-risk medications designated for infusion therapy., Objectives: The goal was to collect representative data of standardized concentrations commonly used for continuous infusion in German ICUs. Results should be used to draft nationwide recommendations for standardized continuous infusions., Materials and Methods: To determine the nationwide acceptance and preference for medications designated for continuous infusion, a questionnaire was developed and sent to the directors of 1816 ICUs in Germany. The questionnaire comprised suggestions of 59 medicinal products with 73 concentrations. In addition, participants could make their own proposals on medications and concentrations preferably used. Evaluation was performed with SurveyMonkey® and Microsoft® Excel®., Results: A total of 312 (17%) ICUs answered the survey. Data analyses indicate a very high acceptance rate for rate-controlled continuous infusion with standardized concentrations. More than 90% (50%) of participating physicians routinely use the top 10 (top 25) medicines listed for continuous infusion. For most medicines, one concentration could be identified., Conclusions: Our survey results generate a suitable basis for a nationwide list with standardized concentrations of medicines intended for continuous infusion (usually 50 mL). Publication of such a list by the corresponding expert committees is likely to be met with broad acceptance and implementation into clinical practice can be expected., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction Target temperature management (TTM) after cardiac arrest is recommended by international guidelines, which have been last updated in 2010. Here we investigate the status of implementation in a nationwide survey in Germany which took place in 2012. Methods We conducted a nationwide telephone survey including a total of 951 German intensive care units (ICUs). ICUs were identified by using the online registry for hospitals in Germany. A questionnaire was used for the interview about basic data of the intensive care unit and about details concerning use and implementation of TTM after cardiac arrest. Results The overall response rate was 91% (865/951). 86% (742/865) of ICUs used TTM after cardiac arrest and implementation peaked in 2010. 95% (702/736) of the ICUs using TTM perform treatment independently of the initial rhythm and 48% (355/738) apply TTM with the use of a feedback device for cooling and controlled re-warming. However, 22% (166/742) still use conventional methods like ice and cold infusion and only 61% (453/742) of the participants provided a written standard operating procedure (SOP). Conclusion With a delay of several years, TTM after cardiac arrest is now implemented in the majority of German ICUs. The moderate proportion of ICUs using SOPs for TTM and feedback-controlled cooling devices indicates the need of further improvement in post cardiac arrest care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-slice (MS) technology increases the efficacy of CT procedures and offers new promising applications. The expanding use of MSCT, however, may result in an increase in both frequency of procedures and levels of patient exposure. It was, therefore, the aim of this study to gain an overview of MSCT examinations conducted in Germany in 2001. All MSCT facilities were requested to provide information about 14 standard examinations with respect to scan parameters and frequency. Based on this data, dosimetric quantities were estimated using an experimentally validated formalism. Results are compared with those of a previous survey for single-slice (SS) spiral CT scanners. According to the data provided for 39 dual- and 73 quad-slice systems, the average annual number of patients examined at MSCT is markedly higher than that examined at SSCT scanners (5500 vs 3500). The average effective dose to patients was changed from 7.4 mSv at single-slice to 5.5 mSv and 8.1 mSv at dual- and quad-slice scanners, respectively. There is a considerable potential for dose reduction at quad-slice systems by an optimisation of scan protocols and better education of the personnel. To avoid an increase in the collective effective dose from CT procedures, a clear medical justification is required in each case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: The patients' perspective is an important aspect of quality management. A newly developed disease-specific questionnaire was used to assess the patients' experiences with care provided in specialised cystic fibrosis (CF) care centres., Methods: 90 CF centres in Germany were invited to participate. Centre staff collected patient consent forms and sent the patients' addresses to the study centre. The questionnaires for adults and parents had 100 and 104 items respectively, with 3-6 response categories each. Items were dichotomised into "problem scores" (PS), indicating the presence or absence (PS 0%) of a reported problem., Results: 56 CF centres took part in the survey and recruited 1642 adults with CF and 1205 parents. The response rates were 74% in each group, with 1221 completed questionnaires from adults and 891 from parents. Participants reported good experiences with care. Factor analysis revealed 10 factors covering 70 items. Participants reported the best results for the factors "Physiotherapists" (PS 6%) and "Physician-Patient Relationship" (PS 9%). Factors with the highest problem scores were inpatient and outpatient "Facilities, Hygiene and Services". CF centres received reports of their own results and mean problem scores of all participating institutions. The problem scores differed considerably between CF centres., Conclusions: The nation-wide CF-specific patient experience survey identified specific shortcomings which were mainly related to communication, centre organisation, and facilities. Centre staff can use the results to improve the quality of care. We suggest that patients' views should become an integral component of efforts to promote patient-centred care., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)