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Due to demographic change and the associated increase in the frequency of chronic diseases, medical rehabilitation is facing major challenges in terms of prevention and improved care provision with further developed treatment concepts. Intensified interdisciplinary research is needed to tackle these tasks - both in terms of basic scientific issues and clinical trials of innovative forms of therapy.

The Competence Centre for Rehabilitation Sciences would like to make its contribution to this, which, in addition to ongoing research projects, also includes activities such as the organisation and moderation of scientific symposia and high-profile events on relevant medical rehabilitation topics.  

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Members

Prof. Dr med. habil. Markus S. Bassler

Main areas of research Prof. Dr med. habil. Bassler

  • Inpatient psychotherapy
  • Psychosomatic rehabilitation
  • Disorder-specific psychotherapy (focus: anxiety disorders)
  • Spirituality and psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and religion
  • Intercultural Psychosomatic Medicine (China)

Prof Dr Andreas Seidel

Main areas of research Prof. Dr Seidel

  • Chronic illnesses and disability
  • ICF
  • Mental disorders, especially autism, ADHD, depression
  • Child development and developmental disorders
  • Early support

Co-operation partners

  • Prof Dr med Kurt Fritzsche
    Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University of Freiburg
  • Prof Dr med Matthias Karst
    Pain Outpatient Clinic, Hanover Medical School
  • Prof. Dr phil. Axel Kobelt-Pönicke
    Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hildesheim
  • Prof Dr med Volker Köllner
    Seehof Psychosomatic Rehabilitation Clinic of the German Pension Insurance Association, Berlin
  • Dr phil. Rüdiger Nübling
    Society for Quality in Healthcare, Karlsruhe

Transgenerational effects on families after forced migration. Narratives that promote resilience (Part 2)

Research question / project object:

The transnational research project focusses on the transgenerational effects of forced migration in Russian and Ukrainian families as a result of the armed conflict in Ukraine.

Project management:

Prof Dr Maria Borcsa

Co-project management (partner institution):

Dr phil. habil. Bernadetta Janusz (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Kraków)

Running time:

07/2022 – 07/2025

Transgenerational effects on families after forced migration. What can be learnt from history(ies)? (Part 1)

Research question / project object:

The international and interdisciplinary research project (medicine, psychology, health and social sciences, ethnography, history) deals with the forced migration of German and Polish families triggered by the Second World War.

Project management:

Prof Dr Maria Borcsa

Project collaboration:

  • Julia Hille
  • Paula Witzel
  • Fady Guirgis
  • Leonie Krahl

Running time:

10/2020 - 12/2025

Implementation of practical recommendations for medically-occupationally orientated rehabilitation

Research question / project object:

Building on the Project MBOR-P In this project, practical recommendations for the implementation of MBOR in psychosomatic rehabilitation centres are agreed with experts and the people undergoing rehabilitation. These will then be introduced and implemented in the rehabilitation centres Celenus Psychosomatic Specialist Clinic Freiburg, Klinik Hüttenbühl Bad Dürrheim and Klinik Taubertal Bad Mergentheim. It will be tested whether the introduction of the newly harmonised practical recommendations leads to the treated persons achieving employment-related rehabilitation goals more effectively. People who receive their rehabilitation before the introduction of the new practice recommendations are compared with people who receive their rehabilitation after the introduction of the new practice recommendations.

The MBOR-PRIME study is being conducted jointly by the University of Lübeck, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and three rehabilitation centres.

Project management:

Prof. Dr med. habil. Markus Bassler

Project collaboration:

Stefanie Freytag (M.Sc.), Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences

Running time:

01/2024 - 12/2025

Effect of biomediators on the course and outcome of interdisciplinary orthopaedic-psychosomatic rehabilitation of chronic multilocular pain syndromes

Research question / project object:

Investigation of the effects of pain-relevant biomediators with regard to diagnostics, course and outcome of interdisciplinary orthopaedic-psychosomatic rehabilitation in multilocular chronic pain syndromes (chronic widespread pain - especially fibromyalgia syndrome)

Project management:

Prof. Dr med. habil. Markus Bassler

Running time:

10/2020 - 09/2022

Organisation and moderation of symposia and discussion forums

  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2014): Rehabilitation therapy standards for depressive disorders: Results and need for change from the perspective of the DGPPR. 24th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Karlsruhe, 12 March 2014.
  • Köllner V, Bassler M (2014): Satellite symposium: Psychosomatics and the world of work. 22nd Annual Conference of the DGPM-DKPM: "Modern times ─ answers in psychosomatics and psychotherapy". Berlin, 28 March 2014.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2015): Process quality in psychosomatic rehabilitation. 25th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Augsburg, 16 March 2015.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2015): Symposium: Concepts in psychosomatic rehabilitation. 23rd Annual Conference of the DGPM-DKPM: "Psycho-somatics - dialogue instead of dualism". Berlin, 27 March 2015.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2016): Research in psychosomatic rehabilitation - current situation and future perspectives? 25th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Aachen, 29 February 2016.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2016): Test psychological assessments in psychosomatic rehabilitation.25th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Aachen, 1 March 2016.
  • Bassler M, Grulke N (2016): Concepts in psychosomatic rehabilitation. Therapy research in rehabilitation. 24th Annual Conference of the DGPM-DKPM: "Relationships and Health, Progress in Psychosomatic Medicine". Potsdam, 18 March 2016.
  • Bassler M (2016): Workshop: Concepts of Inpatient Psychotherapy. Academic Conference of Mental Health Association. Xi'an (China), 3 July 2016.
  • Bassler M, Kobelt A (2017): Symposium: Complaint validation in assessment and rehabilitation. 26th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Frankfurt, 21 March 2017.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2017): Importance of contextual factors for psychosomatic rehabilitation - a current position statement. 26th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Frankfurt, 22 March 2017.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2017): "State-of-the-Art" symposium: Psychosomatic rehabilitation. 25th Annual Conference of the DGPM-DKPM: "Psyche-Soma. Human system". Berlin, 23 March 2017.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2018): MBOR in psychosomatics - do we need different concepts than in somatic rehabilitation? 27th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Frankfurt, 27.22018.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2018): Symposium: New indication fields for psychosomatic rehabilitation. 27th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Frankfurt, 27.22018.
  • Bassler M, Linden M (2018: Symposium: Emotions of bitterness in physical illnesses. 26th Annual Conference of the DGPM-DKPM "Psychosomatics as a Perspective". Berlin, 22 March 2018.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (1919): Symposium: Effects and Perspectives of Psychosomatic Rehabilitation. 15th Congress of the European Forum for Research in Rehabilitation. Berlin, 16 April 2019. 
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2019): Problems of socio-medical assessment in psychosomatic rehabilitation - in cooperation with the DGPPR. 28th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Berlin, 16 April 2019.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2019): Rehabilitation patient surveys as a quality indicator in psychosomatic rehabilitation - a position statement. 28th Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Berlin, 17 April 2019.
  • Bassler M, Köllner V (2022): Psychosomatic rehabilitation in post-COVID syndrome: treatment concepts, initial results, perspectives. 31st Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Münster, 7 March 2022.
  • Bassler M, Gutenbrunner C (2022): What challenges will rehabilitation face in the coming years? 31st Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Münster, 8 March 2022.
  • Bassler M (2022): Organisation and moderation of expert meeting: Long-/Post-COVID. Berlin, 12 October 2022.
  • Bassler M, Krause S (2023): Medical rehabilitation of patients with post-COVID syndrome - what has proven successful, what needs to be improved? 32nd Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Hanover, 20 February 2023.
  • Bassler M, Gutenbrunner C (2023): Rehabilitation in Ukraine - support projects and partnerships? 32nd Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Hanover, 21 February 2023.
  • Bassler M, Dreinhöfer K, Gutenbrunner C (2023): Rehabilitative care gaps in Germany - an update. 32nd Rehabilitation Science Colloquium. Hanover, 22 February 2023.
  • Bassler M (2023): Symposium: Occupational integration management in Germany - opportunities and risks. Annual Conference of the German Society for Occupational Medicine and Environmental Medicine (DGAUM). Jena, 17 March 2023.

Scientific background

In Germany, medical rehabilitation is carried out in inpatient or outpatient form or in a combination of both modalities. The aim of rehabilitation, in accordance with the guidelines of the statutory pension insurance scheme, is to enable insured persons to participate in working life again after acute or chronic illnesses. A differentiated spectrum of rehabilitative programmes is available for this purpose, which can range from multimodal inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation to special occupational support measures, depending on the indication. The overriding principle here is that before a pension is granted, an attempt should first be made to eliminate an existing or impending impairment of earning capacity or to alleviate it to such an extent that premature retirement from working life can be prevented or postponed ("rehabilitation before pension").

Due to the particular medical and health economic implications of chronic diseases, prevention and medical rehabilitation are becoming increasingly important for efficient healthcare. Psychological and psychosomatic factors have been proven to play a major role in the processes that are decisive for the development and maintenance of chronic illnesses, which is why psychosomatic rehabilitation in particular has developed into a mainstay of psychosocial care in Germany.

Medical rehabilitation is one of the best-studied areas of medical care in Germany, thanks not only to the quality assurance programmes of the German Pension Insurance, but also to the close cooperation of rehabilitation facilities with regional and supra-regional research associations. All of the German Pension Insurance's key performance and care data is presented in extensive annual publications, which are accessible to a broad (specialised) public free of charge (e.g. via various German Pension Insurance internet portals).

In 2021, German Pension Insurance carried out a total of 1,018,129 medical rehabilitations. Of these, 140,921 were specifically for inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation and 9,262 for outpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation. Affective disorders were the most common initial diagnosis with around 56 %, followed by neurotic, stress and somatoform disorders with 31 %. In the same period, a total of 165,824 reduced earning capacity pensions were paid out, of which around 41.5% were due to mental or psychosomatic illnesses.

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