IQWiG

is an independent scientific institute that
investigates the benefits and harms of medical interventions
for patients. We regularly provide information
about the potential advantages and disadvantages of
different diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

L-methionine in patients with neurogenic bladder disorders: neither benefit nor harm proven

It is unclear whether patients with neurogenic bladder disorders benefit from the drug L-methionine. The only study currently available provides neither proof of benefit nor proof of harm. This is the result of a report published by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) on 12 July 2010.

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German patients seem less easily satisfied

There is currently no industrial nation in the world whose health care system has not been repeatedly reformed in the past years. However, patients in other countries possibly deal with the ongoing discussions and constant changes in a more relaxed manner than do German patients. This conclusion is implied by an international comparative survey coordinated by the Commonwealth Fund, a private US foundation. Although the experiences of German patients are largely by no means negative, they judge the health care system more critically than patients in other countries.

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Medicine’s secret archives - How patients are harmed by the concealment of knowledge

In an article published in the journal "Trials”, researchers at the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) compiled over 60 examples illustrating how the dissemination of medical knowledge has been impeded. For this purpose, they assessed hundreds of citations. A wide range of interventions was affected: from drugs and vaccines to medical devices such as ultrasound or devices for wound care. The collection reads like the script for a crime series.

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