Like this the characteristics of patient flows in various specialized pediatric departments of hospitals and their impact on the outcome of individual patients can be identified. Further information about CoRe-Net can be found here.
The care patterns of all children with kidney disease in Cologne are analyzed. For this purpose, the entire care process across all organizations involved in the care of children and adolescents with kidney diseases is examined, and the following parameters are captured:

• Complexity (number of involved healthcare providers)
• Intensity (contacts with a healthcare provider)
• Dynamics (periods with extremely low/high intensity and complexity of patient-healthcare provider relationships

The goal is to answer the following research questions: Which specialized hospital departments are relevant in the care process for children with acute or chronic kidney diseases, and at what point are they relevant? What individual patient outcomes are influenced by the characteristics of the patient flow?

WP Leads:
Prof. Dr. med. Lutz Weber (University Hospital Cologne, Head of Pediatric Nephrology)
Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Ludwig Kuntz (University of Cologne, Department of Business Administration and Health Care Management)

The aim is to analyze organizational factors (e.g., ownership, number of beds, teaching status) and regional factors (e.g., urbanization, proximity to nephrological expertise) to subsequently assess their impact on pediatric nephrological care. Key information from the quality reports is presented descriptively and cartographically, including the presence of pediatric departments, the presence of nephrological expertise, and the spectrum of pediatric nephrological treatments. In addition, inferential statistical methods are applied to test hypotheses about the relationship between organizational factors and the development of specialized facilities, as well as the distance to the nearest specialized facility and the treatment spectrum.

WP Leads:
Dr. rer. med. habil. Nadine Scholten (Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR))
Prof. Dr. rer. med. Nicole Ernstmann (University of Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, IMVR).

The research approach is structured in two stages: In the first step, a nationwide survey is conducted to identify existing healthcare networks. For this purpose, medical professionals in leadership positions of healthcare provider institutions are interviewed to explore, on a regional level, existing collaborations between inpatient and outpatient healthcare facilities.

In a second step, through a consecutive survey within the identified networks, the relational coordination of physicians and nursing professionals is evaluated. The focus is particularly on identifying factors that influence relational coordination at the network level.

WP Leads:
Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Daniel Wiesen (University of Cologne, Department of Business Administration and Health Care Management)
Prof. Dr. phil. Holger Pfaff (University of Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, IMVR)

The objective is to investigate which aspects, as perceived by those affected (parents, adolescents, and children), are considered relevant in pediatric departments regarding the implementation of PCC. Additionally, barriers and facilitators hindering or supporting the implementation of PCC in these centers are to be identified. To answer these questions from the perspective of those affected, qualitative interviews are conducted with both children and adolescents and their parents. If necessary, their perspectives are supplemented through qualitative interviews with healthcare providers. Subsequently, it will be explored to what extent PCC can contribute to improving the currently established processes in pediatric departments.

WP Leads:
Prof. Dr. med. Stephanie Stock (Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology, IGKE)
Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Dötsch (University Hospital Cologne, Director of the Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

Based on the results of the various work packages, a conceptual framework for more effective coordination and communication within healthcare provider (HPD) networks will be developed in a further research project. In this context, a feasible and effective intervention will be designed to enhance organizational coordination for patient-centered care, facilitating the translation of research findings into practical implementation.