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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Gesundheitswesen 2024; 86(S 04): S259-S266
DOI: 10.1055/a-2308-7384
Original Article

Navigating the Future of Organisational Health Services Research in Germany and beyond: a Position Paper

Article in several languages: English | deutsch
Lena Ansmann 
1   Chair of Medical Sociology, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
,
Stefan Nöst 
2   Health and Nursing Sciences, School of Health Sciences and Management, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart, Germany
,
Mirjam Körner
3   Competence Center Interprofessionalism, School of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
4   Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
Carolin Auschra
5   Department of Management, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
Roland Bal
6   Chair of Healthcare Governance, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
,
Marina Böddeker
7   Collaborative Research Centre (SFB 1288) “Practices of Comparing. Ordering and Changing of the World”, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
8   School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
,
Ingo Bode
9   Professor of Social Policy, Organisation and Society, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
,
Jeffrey Braithwaite
10   Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
,
Clara Breidenbach
11   German Cancer Society, Berlin, Germany
12   Chair of Health Services Research, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
,
Marie Coors
13   Chair of Health Economics, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Ibrahim Demirer
1   Chair of Medical Sociology, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
,
Mark Exworthy
14   Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Lorenz Harst 
15   Center for Evidence-based Healthcare, Branch Office at the Medical Campus Chemnitz of TU Dresden, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
,
Christian Heuser
12   Chair of Health Services Research, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
,
Julia Hoffmann
16   Center for Evidence-based Healthcare, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden
,
Juliane Köberlein-Neu
17   Center for Health Economics and Health Services Research, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
,
Karl Krajic
18   Department for Sociology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
19   FORBA Working Life Research Centre Vienna, Vienna, Austria
,
Gregory Maniatopoulos
20   Chair of Healthcare Management, University of Leicester School of Business, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
,
Russell Mannion
14   Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Ralph Möhler
21   Institute for Health Services Research and Health Economics, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
,
Holger Pfaff
22   Chair of Quality Development and Evaluation in Rehabilitation, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Human Sciences and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
,
Monika A Rieger
23   Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
,
Esther Rind
23   Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
,
M. A. Helge Schnack 
24   Division for Organizational Health Services Research, Department of Health Services Research, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
,
M. A. Anke Wagner
23   Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
,
Matthias Weigl
25   Institute for Patient Safety, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
,
Michel Wensing
26   Chair of Health Services Research and Implementation Science, Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg
,
Siri Wiig
27   SHARE Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
,
Eva Wild
28   Department of Health Care Management, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
29   Core Member at Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
,
Hendrik Wilhelm
30   Reinhard Mohn Institute of Management, Faculty of Management, Economics and Society, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
,
Markus Wirtz
31   Chair of Research Methods in Health Sciences, University of Education Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
Katja Götz
32   Chair of Health Services Research in Primary Care, Institute of Family Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
› Author Affiliations Funding Information Volkswagen Foundation — http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001663; 9C547
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Correction: Navigating the Future of Organisational Health Services Research in Germany and beyond: a Position PaperGesundheitswesen 2024; 86(S 04): e2-e2
DOI: 10.1055/a-2379-0611

Abstract

Background Recent analyses have shown that in health services research in Germany, healthcare organisations are often considered primarily as a study setting, without fully taking their complex organisational nature into account, neither theoretically nor methodologically. Therefore, an initiative was launched to analyse the state of Organisational Health Services Research (OHSR) in Germany and to develop a strategic framework and road map to guide future efforts in the field. This paper summarizes positions that have been jointly developed by consulting experts from the interdisciplinary and international scientific community.

Methods In July 2023, a scoping workshop over the course of three days was held with 32 (inter)national experts from different research fields centred around OHSR topics using interactive workshop methods. Participants discussed their perspectives on OHSR, analysed current challenges in OHSR in Germany and developed key positions for the field’s development.

Results The seven agreed-upon key positions addressed conceptual and strategic aspects. There was consensus that the field required the development of a research agenda that can guide future efforts. On a conceptual level, the need to address challenges in terms of interdisciplinarity, terminology, organisation(s) as research subjects, international comparative research and utilisation of organisational theory was recognized. On a strategic level, requirements with regard to teaching, promotion of interdisciplinary and international collaboration, suitable funding opportunities and participatory research were identified.

Conclusions This position paper seeks to serve as a framework to support further development of OHSR in Germany and as a guide for researchers and funding organisations on how to move OHSR forward. Some of the challenges discussed for German OHSR are equally present in other countries. Thus, this position paper can be used to initiate fruitful discussions in other countries.

Keywords

Healthcare organisations - organisational behaviour - organisational research - health services research - interdisciplinary - international network


Publication History

Article published online:
22 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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