Brief outline of the overall workshop:
This workshop will provide a status-quo of German chronic care programmes (CCP) and interactively address their challenges, focussing on providers acceptance, as well as on options to ensure the sustainability of CCP. In Germany, the first CCP (referred to as “disease management programmes (DMP)”) were implemented more than 20 years ago, culminating in currently six ongoing DMP for diabetes type 1 and type 2 (T2D), coronary heart disease (CHD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma and breast cancer. Among these, the DMP T2D has the highest number of enrolled patients, followed by the DMP CHD. The enrollment and treatment of patients in the DMP in Germany are mainly carried out by family doctors, which are supported by health assistants. Currently, it is planned to extend the existing DMP for T2D and CHD by self-management interventions, based on internationally deployed chronic care models. Furthermore, additional DMP for other chronic conditions are planned to be implemented. Within a regional innovation project we are conducting an exploratory mixed-method-study, which identifies positive and negative aspects, impacting the sustainability of the current DMP for T2D and CHD from a family doctor’s perspective. The findings of the initial qualitative study show differing perceptions regarding individual DMP. While family doctors evaluate the DMP T2D positively, the DMP CHD is considered less effective. As a result, some of the respondents tend to enroll less patients into the CHD programme, or consider to stop its provision. These results will be presented in the workshop and discussed in an international context. The target group of the workshop are international experts with experience in the implementation and/or provision of CCP.

Specific aims/objectives and component parts:
This workshop will start with a keynote speech on the actual status of CCP for T2D and CHD in Germany, setting them into the international context of CCP and the latest research on their challenges. Furthermore, it will share knowledge on various factors affecting provider’s acceptance of DMP, such as family doctors and paramedical health workers, which is relevant for the overall sustainability of such programs. After the keynote speech, participants will discuss key questions in small groups and present their discussion outcome in plenary. Further Information of the workshop schedule and component parts are found in table 1. Table 1: Workshop Schedule

Workshop content additional information duration:
Keynote speech Status-quo of CCP 10 min Introduction to group discussions and formation of groups Provision of handout with key questions 5 min Group discussions Maximal 5 participants per group 20 min Group presentations Presentation of discussion outcomes for 3-5 minutes per group 20 min Closing of the workshop Feedback 5 min

Key questions that the workshop will address:
1) What are international experiences of factors increasing or decreasing the sustainability of individual CCP, with a special focus on providers acceptance? 2) How are the reported findings from Germany comparable with international experiences? 3) How can CCP be improved in order to ensure providers’ acceptance and sustainability of such programmes?