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Møller A, Bond CB, Andersen LN, Hartvigsen J, Stochkendahl MJ. General practitioners' stay-at-work practices in patients with musculoskeletal disorders: using Intervention Mapping to develop a training program. Scand J Prim Health Care 2023; 41:445-456. [PMID: 37837433 PMCID: PMC11001345 DOI: 10.1080/02813432.2023.2268674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe current stay-at-work practices among Danish general practitioners (GPs) in relation to patients with musculoskeletal disorders, to identify potential avenues for improvement, and to suggest a training program for the GPs. DESIGN AND SETTING We followed the principles of Intervention Mapping. Data were collected by means of literature searches, focus group interviews with GPs, and interaction with stakeholder representatives from the Danish labour market. RESULTS GPs' current stay-at-work practices were influenced by systemic, organisational, and legislative factors, and by personal determinants, including knowledge and skills relating to stay-at-work principles and musculoskeletal disorders, recognition of the patient's risk of long-term work disability, their role as a GP, and expectations of interactions with other stay-at-work stakeholders. GPs described themselves as important partners and responsible for the diagnostic and holistic assessments of the patient but placed themselves on the side line relying on the patient or workplace stakeholders to act. Their practices are influenced both by patients, employers, and by other stakeholders. We propose a training course for GPs that incorporate both concrete tools and behaviour change techniques. CONCLUSIONS We have identified varied perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of GPs, as well as legislative and organisational barriers, and proposed a training program. Not all barriers identified can be addressed by a training course, and some questions are left unanswered, among others - who are best suited to help patients staying at work?
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Møller
- Research Unit for General Practice in Copenhagen, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - C. B. Bond
- Center for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - L. N. Andersen
- Center for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - J. Hartvigsen
- Center for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, Odense, Denmark
| | - M. J. Stochkendahl
- Center for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, Odense, Denmark
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Furlan AD, Harbin S, Vieira FF, Irvin E, Severin CN, Nowrouzi-Kia B, Tiong M, Adisesh A. Primary Care Physicians' Learning Needs in Returning Ill or Injured Workers to Work. A Scoping Review. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION 2022; 32:591-619. [PMID: 35511378 DOI: 10.1007/s10926-022-10043-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Primary care physicians are uniquely positioned to assist ill and injured workers to stay-at-work or to return-to-work. Purpose The purpose of this scoping review is to identify primary care physicians' learning needs in returning ill or injured workers to work and to identify gaps to guide future research. Methods We used established methodologies developed by Arksey and O'Malley, Cochrane and adapted by the Systematic Review Program at the Institute for Work & Health. We used Distiller SR©, an online systematic review software to screen for relevance and perform data extraction. We followed the PRISMA for Scoping Reviews checklist for reporting. Results We screened 2106 titles and abstracts, 375 full-text papers for relevance and included 44 studies for qualitative synthesis. The first learning need was related to administrative tasks. These included (1) appropriate record-keeping, (2) time management to review occupational information, (3) communication skills to provide clear, sufficient and relevant factual information, (4) coordination of services between different stakeholders, and (5) collaboration within teams and between different professions. The second learning need was related to attitudes and beliefs and included intrinsic biases, self-confidence, role clarity and culture of blaming the patient. The third learning need was related to specific knowledge and included work capacity assessments and needs for sick leave, environmental exposures, disclosure of information, prognosis of certain conditions and care to certain groups such as adolescents and pregnant workers. The fourth learning need was related to awareness of services and tools. Conclusions There are many opportunities to improve medical education for physicians in training or in continuing medical education to improve care for workers with an illness or injury that affect their work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D Furlan
- Institute for Work & Health, 400 University Avenue, suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5, Canada.
- KITE, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Shireen Harbin
- Institute for Work & Health, 400 University Avenue, suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5, Canada
| | - Fabricio F Vieira
- Faculty of Medicine, State University of Maringa, Avenida Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Maringa, PR, Brazil
| | - Emma Irvin
- Institute for Work & Health, 400 University Avenue, suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5, Canada
- Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Colette N Severin
- Institute for Work & Health, 400 University Avenue, suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5, Canada
| | - Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia
- Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margaret Tiong
- Institute for Work & Health, 400 University Avenue, suite 1800, Toronto, ON, M5G 1S5, Canada
| | - Anil Adisesh
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Occupational Medicine, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Hov L, Tveit B, Synnes O. Nobody Dies Alone in the Electronic Patient Record-A Qualitative Analysis of the Textual Practices of Documenting Dying and Death. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2021; 87:246-261. [PMID: 34038173 PMCID: PMC10064451 DOI: 10.1177/00302228211019197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we analyse the electronic patient record (EPR) as a genre and investigate how a death is documented as part of the EPR, that is, what kind of textual practices can be found, and how they can be understood based on extracts from 42 EPRs from medical wards in Norwegian hospitals. Following from our analysis, we see four distinct patterns in the documentation of patient death: a) registering the bare minimum of information, b) registering a body stopped working, c) documenting dying quietly and placing it in peaceful surroundings, and d) highlighting the accompanied death. The textual practices of documenting the transition to death in the EPR make death appear manageable and sanitised, depicting death as either uneventful or good. While the EPR genre is steeped in biomedical language, other discourses relating to death can be seen as ways to accommodate the ideal of a dignified death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laila Hov
- 87368VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bodil Tveit
- 87368VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway
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Hov L, Synnes O, Aarseth G. Negotiating the turning point in the transition from curative to palliative treatment: a linguistic analysis of medical records of dying patients. Palliat Care 2020; 19:91. [PMID: 32590962 PMCID: PMC7320586 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-020-00602-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Many deaths in Norway occur in medical wards organized to provide curative treatment. Still, medical departments are obliged to meet the needs of patients at the end of life. Here, we analyse the electronic patient record regarding documentation of the transition from curative to palliative care (i.e. the ‘turning point’). Considering the consequences of these decisions for patients, they have received surprisingly little attention from researchers. This study aims to investigate how the patient record denotes reasons for the shift from curative treatment to palliation and how texts involve voices of the patient and their families. Methods The study comprised excerpts from electronic patient records retrieved from medical wards in three urban hospitals in Norway. We executed a retrospective analysis of anonymized extracts from 16 electronic patient records, searching for documentation on the transition from curative to palliative care. Results In the development of the turning point, the texts usually shift from statements about the patient’s clinical status and technical findings to displaying uncertainty and openness to negotiation with different textual voices. This shift may represent a need to align or harmonize the attitudes of colleagues, family, and patient towards the turning-point decision. The patient’s voice is mostly absent or reported only briefly when, in their notes, nurses gave an account of the patient’s opinion. None of the physicians’ notes provided a detailed account of patient attitudes, wishes, and experiences. Conclusion In this article, we have analysed textual representations of patient transitions from curative to end-of-life care. The ‘reality’ behind the text has not been our concern. As the only documentation left, the patient record is an adequate basis for considering how patients are estimated and cared for in their last days of life.
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Cailhol J, Lebon MC, Sherlaw W. Will my patients get their residence permit? A critical analysis of the ethical dilemmas involved in writing medical certificates for residence permits in France. BMC Med Ethics 2020; 21:59. [PMID: 32660550 PMCID: PMC7359478 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-020-00500-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND France has long been a country of immigration and in some respects may be seen to have a generous policy with respect to asylum seekers and access to health care for migrants. The French state notably provides healthcare access for undocumented migrants, through state medical aid and since 1998 has had a humanitarian policy for granting temporary residence permits for medical reason (TRPMR) to migrants. Within a context of political debate, reform and tightening immigration control we will examine this latter policy focusing especially on the dilemmas that arise for physicians of migrant patients when they are requested to write medical certificates as part of a TRPMR application. In a 2017 reform the key role of making recommendations on the granting or not of permits was handed over to Ministry of the Interior health inspectors. Recommendations are made after perusal of medical certificates established by the migrant's physician and complementary evidence. MAIN BODY The writing of medical certificates by a physician would seem straightforward. This is far from the case since it raises a number of ethical dilemmas. These occur within a physician-patient relationship embedded within a social contract between the State, the physician and the migrant patient. To clarify the ethical issues arising 3 vignettes based on practice within an infectious disease unit at a large Paris hospital have been developed. The vignettes highlight ethical dilemmas in the care for migrants with tuberculosis (dilemma in defining health and disease), chronic hepatitis (dilemma between beneficence and do not harm), and HIV / AIDS (issue of deservingness). We will go on to reflect on issues of social justice and responsibility for the health of migrants within a globalized world. CONCLUSIONS Criteria for residence permit delivery appear less than clear-cut and are interpreted in a restrictive way. Neither are the consequences of refusing a residence permit taken into account. We call for an empirical transnational ethics study involving countries implementing similar TRPMR policies. We also call for inclusion of lobbying competences into the medical undergraduate curricula, in order to breed future generations of physicians skilled in defending social justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann Cailhol
- Laboratoire Educations et Pratiques de Santé, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, Bobigny, France.
- Infectious diseases unit, Avicenne teaching hospital, APHP, 125 route de Stalingrad, 93000, Bobigny, France.
- Institut Convergences Migrations, Campus Condorcet, Hôtel à projets, 8 cours des Humanités, 93300, Aubervilliers, France.
| | - Marie-Christine Lebon
- Infectious diseases unit, Avicenne teaching hospital, APHP, 125 route de Stalingrad, 93000, Bobigny, France
| | - William Sherlaw
- Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherche en Sociologie, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 20 rue Duquesne, 29200, Brest, France
- Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique, 15 avenue du Professeur Léon-Bernard, 35043, Rennes, France
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Nordling P, Priebe G, Björkelund C, Hensing G. Assessing work capacity - reviewing the what and how of physicians' clinical practice. BMC FAMILY PRACTICE 2020; 21:72. [PMID: 32340611 PMCID: PMC7187489 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-020-01134-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background Although a main task in the sickness certification process, physicians’ clinical practice when assessing work capacity has not been thoroughly described. Increased knowledge on the matter is needed to better understand and support the certification process. In this review, we aimed to synthesise existing qualitative evidence to provide a clearer description of the assessment of work capacity as practiced by physicians. Method Seven electronic databases were searched systematically for qualitative studies examining what and how physicians do when they assess work capacity. Data was analysed and integrated using thematic synthesis. Results Twelve articles were included. Results show that physicians seek to form a knowledge base including understanding the condition, the patient and the patient’s workplace. They consider both medical and non-medical aspects to affect work capacity. To acquire and process the information they use various skills, methods and resources. Medical competence is an important basis, but not enough. Time, trust, intuition and reasoning are also used to assess the patient’s claims and to translate the findings into a final assessment. The depth and focus of the information seeking and processing vary depending on several factors. Conclusion The assessment of work capacity is a complex task where physicians rely on their non-medical skills to a higher degree than in ordinary clinical work. These skills are highly relevant but need to be complemented with access to appropriate resources such as understanding of the associations between health, work and social security, enough time in daily work for the assessment and ways to better understand the patient’s work place. Also, the notion of an “objective” evaluation is questioned, calling for a greater appreciation of the complexity of the assessment and the role of professional judgement.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Nordling
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 453, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden. .,Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - G Priebe
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 453, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - C Björkelund
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 453, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - G Hensing
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 453, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Shutzberg M. Unsanctioned techniques for having sickness certificates accepted: a qualitative exploration and description of the strategies used by Swedish general practitioners. Scand J Prim Health Care 2019; 37:10-17. [PMID: 30689481 PMCID: PMC6454410 DOI: 10.1080/02813432.2019.1569426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore informal and unsanctioned techniques general practitioners (GPs) employ as a means to increase the likelihood of sickness certificate approval, following the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's (SSIA's) consolidation of the gatekeeping role in sickness benefit evaluation. DESIGN Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 20 GPs working in Swedish primary care. A thematic analysis of the transcribed material was carried out to map different techniques employed by the practitioners. RESULTS Eight techniques were identified, particularly with respect to the way in which the sickness certificate is written to ensure approval by the SSIA. The identified techniques were most commonly adopted when the patient's case was perceived to be at high risk for rejection by the SSIA (such as psychiatric illnesses, chronic pain etc.). CONCLUSIONS The findings imply that the informal and unsanctioned techniques are complex and ambiguous. They are used intentionally and covertly. The study also suggests that, while the consolidation of SSIA's gatekeeping role may have resolved some sickness absence issues, a consequence may be that GPs develop unsanctioned techniques to ensure compliance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mani Shutzberg
- Centre for Studies in Practical Knowledge, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
- CONTACT Mani Shutzberg Centre for Studies in Practical Knowledge, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Aarseth G, Natvig B, Engebretsen E, Lie AK. Acting by persuasion- values and rhetoric in medical certificates of work incapacity: A qualitative document analysis. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2019; 45:60-66. [PMID: 30228222 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2018-011496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
When the patient applies for disability benefit in Norway, the general practitioner (GP) is required by the National Insurance Administration (NAV) to confirm that the patient is unfit for work due to disease. Considering the important social role of medical certificates, they have been given surprisingly little attention by the medical critique. They may make essential differences to peoples' lives, legitimise large social costs and, in addition, the GPs report that issuing certificates can be problematic. This article explores values, attitudes and persuasive language in a selection of medical certificates written by GPs. We direct attention to such texts as significant social actors using a mixed rhetoric including certain values and attitudes. When arguing for granting the patient disability benefit, some GPs emphasised the 'worthiness' of the patient by pointing to positive attitudes approved by the national insurance: a will to work and participate, to cooperate and be motivated. Others pointed out the patient's positive character in terms of universally accepted values, called for the reader's (the NAV official) sympathy , understanding and helpfulness or appealed to his/her willingness to be realistic and pragmatic and grant disability benefit (DB). The dialogic style varied: some certifiers-although they argued for disability benefit-showed openness to possible opposing or alternative voices by displaying their own uncertainty. Others addressed the reader to share responsibility, demanding or urging for DB. This shifting rhetoric, we believe, mirrors that the GPs see themselves as the patient's advocate, and that they may find themselves conflicted. We propose further studies within qualitative research to investigate the effect of this rhetoric on the reader, the decision-makers. In addition, to improve the quality and accuracy of these important documents, we suggest that medical schools introduce students to the making of text as a specific skill of medical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guri Aarseth
- Institute of Health and Society, Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bård Natvig
- Institute of Health and Society, Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eivind Engebretsen
- Institute of Health and Society, Department of Health Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Kveim Lie
- Institute of Health and Society, Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Warnke I, Gamma A, Buadze A, Schleifer R, Canela C, Rüsch N, Rössler W, Strebel B, Tényi T, Liebrenz M. Status quo of German-speaking medical students' attitudes toward and knowledge about central aspects of forensic psychiatry across four European countries. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY 2018; 58:9-16. [PMID: 29853018 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
While forensic psychiatry is of increasing importance in mental health care, limited available evidence shows that attitudes toward the discipline are contradictory and that knowledge about it seems to be limited in medical students. We aimed to shed light on this subject by analyzing medical students' central attitudes toward and their association with knowledge about forensic psychiatry as well as with socio-demographic and education-specific predictor variables. We recruited N = 1345 medical students from 45 universities with a German language curriculum across four European countries (Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary) by using an innovative approach, namely snowball sampling via Facebook. Students completed an online questionnaire, and data were analyzed descriptively and multivariably by linear mixed effects models and multinomial regression. The results showed overall neutral to positive attitudes toward forensic psychiatry, with indifferent attitudes toward the treatment of sex offenders, and forensic psychiatrists' expertise in the media. Whereas medical students knew about the term 'forensic psychiatry', they showed a lack of specific medico-legal knowledge. Multivariable models on predictor variables revealed statistically significant findings with, however, small estimates and variance explanation. Therefore, further research is required along with the development of a refined assessment instrument for medical students to explore both attitudes and knowledge in forensic psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingeborg Warnke
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16-18, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Alex Gamma
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16-18, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Anna Buadze
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Lenggstrasse 31, 3032 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Roman Schleifer
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16-18, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Carlos Canela
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16-18, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Nicolas Rüsch
- Department of Psychiatry II, University of Ulm and BKH Günzburg, Parkstrasse 11, D-89073 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Wulf Rössler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Lenggstrasse 31, 3032 Zürich, Switzerland; Institute of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Bernd Strebel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Protestant Hospital Hagen-Haspe, Brusebrinkstr. 20, D-58135 Hagen, Germany.
| | - Tamás Tényi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Pécs Medical School, Szigeti str 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Michael Liebrenz
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16-18, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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