Belonging to the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, the unit "Epidemiology in Patient Populations" is conducting research related to clinical diagnoses, procedures and outcomes. In most cases, we take advantage of the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (the BIPS database) which currently includes records for over 14 million members of four statutory health insurance companies in Germany. Using the database, we are able to study incidence, prevalence, regional distribution, co-morbidities, treatments and outcomes of diseases. The size of the database allows us to study even rare diseases in the population-based framework. The database can also be used as a starting or endpoint of further studies involving clinical populations. For example, patients with specific diagnoses can be identified in the database and asked to participate in a more in depth evaluation. On the other hand, persons recruited for specific studies can be asked to give permission to include diagnoses from their medical records. That way, validated clinical information can be used instead of anamnestic information.
In addition to the above projects centered on the BIPS database, we aim to conduct primary research in patient populations in collaboration with clinicians from Bremen or nearby Oldenburg, where already a joint project on hearth failure was initiated. Collaborating directly with health care providers would compensate weaknesses of the BIPS database related to a lack of the results of medical procedures in the records.
We also have some additional projects scattered over different areas which are the result of previous research activities, but are now converging around the main research area of clinical epidemiology. Among these supplemental research fields the most important is infectious diseases epidemiology with mathematical modelling. We also conduct research in the area of emerging adulthood in the framework of life course epidemiology. The innovative component of these studies is the use of online questionnaires and follow-up per email. Furthermore, we have projects in the area of reproductive and obstetrical epidemiology in collaboration with a research group at National Institutes for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, USA.
Only currently running projects or those that ended less than a year ago will be shown. The entries are sorted alphabetically.