VePoKaP

Background

After contracting COVID-19, some patients suffer from persistent fatigue, weakness and exhaustion, which can significantly restrict their everyday and social life. For most of those affected, GPs are the first point of contact in the healthcare system. Pre-existing conditions, the patient's social situation and how they deal with their symptoms play a key role in diagnosis and treatment. In the federal state of Lower Saxony, with its heterogeneous urban-rural population and healthcare structures, questions also arise regarding regional differences in the use of healthcare services and the handling of post-COVID.

Objectives

The overall aim of the project is to investigate how patients with post-COVID in Lower Saxony deal with their symptoms in everyday life, which care services they perceive within and outside the healthcare system and what needs they have in different phases of the disease.

Methods

A mixed method design with quantitative and qualitative approaches to health services research is used. This includes evaluations of routine data from insured persons of the AOK Lower Saxony, surveys of patients and their relatives, surveys of general practitioners and health economic analyses. The results will be discussed in an interdisciplinary final workshop with various professional groups as well as patient and family representatives, so that recommendations for science, practice and politics can be derived.

Funding

This project is funded by the COVID-19 Research Network Lower Saxony (COFONI) (funding code: 8LZF23). The project duration is 30 months (01.07.2023 to 31.12.2025).

Project management

• Prof. Dr. Christian Krauth (Project Manager)
  Institute of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Public Health Research, MHH
  Phone: +49 511 532-4426
  Email: K rauth.C hristian@mh-hannover.de
• Maike Stolz, M.Sc.(Deputy Project Manager)
  Institute of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Public Health Research, MHH
  Phone: +49 511-532-5416
  Email: S tolz.Ma ike@mh-hannover.de

Cooperation partners

• Prof. Dr. Nils Schneider, Institute ofGeneral Medicine and Palliative Medicine, MHH
• Prof. Dr. Dr. Martina de Zwaan, Clinical Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, MHH
• Dr. PH Jona Theodor Stahmeyer, Health Services Research Department, AOK - The Health Insurance Fund for Lower Saxony
• Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Hummers, PD Dr. Frank Müller, Institute of General Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Herrmann-Lingen, Clinical Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen
• Prof. Dr. Dr. Annika Herr, Institute of Health Economics, Leibniz University Hannover

VePoKaP project team at the Institute ofGeneral Medicine and Palliative Medicine

• Prof. Dr. Nils Schneider
  Phone: +49 511 532-6530
  Email: S chneide r.Nils@mh-hannover.de
• Dr. PH Melanie Brinkmann
  Phone: +49 511 532-4380
  Email: B rinkman n.Melanie2@mh-hannover.de
• Imke Koch, M. Sc.
  Phone: +49 511 532-4380
  Email: K och.Imk e@mh-hannover.de
• Franziska Grimm, B.A.
  Phone: +49 511 532-4380
  E-Mail: G rimm.Fr anziska@mh-hannover.de

Contact VePoKaP project

Phone: +49 511 532-81655

E-mail: vepokap@mh-hannover.de