[After the crisis is before the crisis: Coping-strategies for public health emergency situations on different levels--experiences of the German E. coli outbreak 2011].

The German E. coli crisis in 2011 posed multifaceted challenges to the actors of the German health care system. This paper analyzes the outbreak from a multidisciplinary perspective. It offers best practices and general recommendations for future public health emergencies for hospitals as well as at the federal and local level, addressing medical practitioners as well as health care managers.