Medical report Why patients go to the doctor

Medical report: Why patients in Germany go to the doctor

02/02/2011

The Barmer GEK presented the new medical report 2011. As a result, Germans increasingly go to the doctor. Expenditure in the health care system is increasing, especially as costly diagnostic procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are increasingly prescribed.

The Germans go to the doctor more and more often. Experts see this not only signs of sensitization to possible diseases, but also an increasing burden on people by the rapidly growing world of work. About 93 percent of Germans go to the doctor at least once a year. The most common reasons for a doctor's visit are back pain and high blood pressure. Both of these symptoms are most prevalent in the western industrial world, ranked number one and two of the most common reasons for a doctor's visit. For the medical report 2011 of the statutory health insurance Barmer GEK the patient data of more than eight million people were evaluated. The study data showed that about 41 percent of Germans can be treated up to four times in different medical practices. Around 1.2 percent of those insured even visit a doctor more than ten times a year.

The most common causes for a doctor's visit
Disturbances such as back pain (24.1 percent) and high blood pressure (25.7) are the most common causes of treatment in the doctor. The ranking is followed by lipid metabolism disorders (18.6 percent), respiratory tract infections (18.5) and abdominal pain with 9.9 percent. Mental and emotional suffering have also increased greatly. About 9.4 percent were treated for depression and about 4.5 percent for sleep disorders. The widespread disease Diabetes Type II ranks among the top 10 most frequent visits to doctors with 6.9 percent and is ranked 9th. Suffering such as headaches and migraines belong partly in the range of mental stress and ranked on place 11 and 12 with 4.3 respectively 4.1 percent. That the Germans are always overweight, reflects the medical report again. Approximately 9.4 percent of those insured went for medical treatment because of obesity.

Diagnostic procedures cause high expenses, although the benefits are often doubtful
The health insurance companies are struggling to cope with the rising costs of expensive diagnostic procedures. About six million people undergo magnetic resonance imaging each year. This process alone causes annual expenditure of around two billion euros. MRI is the most widely used in Germany in a global comparison. „More than seven percent were in the tube”, explained the Barmer vice-boss, Rolf-Ulrich Schlenker. However, one could hardly recognize the utility in the frequency of the procedures. Because in the opinion of the study authors followed by an MRI only in 50 percent of the cases an actual therapy. In addition, MRI detects, for example, damage and then treats it, even though the patient had no prior limitations. In the CT X-ray procedure, patients expose themselves to a high radiation dose. However, many patients do not know about it or are insufficiently informed by the attending physician.

The medical report 2011 is considered by experts to be representative, as the Barmer GEK is one of the industry leaders among the health insurance companies. Here a good average value for the total population in Germany can be calculated. In the middle of February also the health insurance DAK wants to present her health report 2011. (Sb)

Also read:
Expensive diagnostic procedures increase costs
CT & MRI: "I was in the tube for examination"
New pictures from the inside of the body

Image: Thommy Weiss