[Specialized pain care in Germany].

BACKGROUND

In order to characterize the pain care situation in Germany, a health technology assessment (HTA) was carried out on behalf of the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI).

METHODS

An up to date literature search was conducted using the database Pubmed. Reviews and studies which describe the pain care in Germany were included. The Physicians' Health Insurance Associations conducted an additional database survey.

RESULTS

Overall 12 studies were included and the results of the analysis showed that there is a lack of some 2,500 curative pain care institutions in Germany. There is also clear under use of inpatient and outpatient institutions in palliative care. The results prove the benefits of the interdisciplinary approach in pain care.

DISCUSSION

Further development should strive to increase the provision of pain and palliative care. There is a great need for pain care research in order to concrete the needs.