[Evaluation of in-hospital treatment with naturopathic methods - the 'Blankenstein model'. Part I: Patients and therapeutic concepts].
BACKGROUND
In January 1997 the department for naturopathy with 60 beds has been established at the Catholic Hospital St. Elisabeth, Blankenstein, and was taken into consideration in Northrhine-Westphalia's plan of hospital budgets.


OBJECTIVE
The establishment of this department was connected to a scientific evaluation, which was performed to check the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities and limits of naturopathic methods applied within the field of inpatient treatment according to section sign 39 SGB V.


METHODS
Besides sociodemographic surveys, questions about the ranges of indication and results of treatments as well as the analysis of the cost-benefit relation were part of the evaluation. Additionally, a subject of the current check was the delimitation towards means of rehabilitation or towards ambulant treatments. In order to initiate or to continue an open dialog with other model projects on this field, at first the therapeutical concept of the department was presented in excerpts.


RESULTS
The mean age of the patients treated was 57.3 years. In total, 440 of the 618 patients (71.3%) were capable of gainful employment, which means they were between 17 and 65 years old. In three fourths of all examined patients their place of residence was in the areas of Essen, Dortmund, and Hagen. Every patient had a therapy time of 4.1 h per day in the hospital. In total, 8.7 medicines per patient were taken, with an average quantity of 12.9 single doses per day. 97.3% of the patients had a second diagnosis, and 91.8% of the patients had 3 or more diagnoses. 60% of the patients suffered from rheumatic diseases. In 84.7% of these patients the first diagnosis was 'disease of the skeleton and the muscles'. Concerning the diagnostic means, electrocardiograms and X-ray examinations as well as in-house councils about these means can be named as being characteristic. By means of patient groups that have been differentiated by the tracer diagnosis, the corresponding therapy standards are explained. These standards have been worked out with classical naturopathic treatments, especially in regard to rheumatic diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
The application of naturopathic methods within the field of inpatient treatment is especially distinguished by the regular use of classical naturopathic treatments (especially hydrotherapy), with a high therapy density. By establishing standardized therapy concepts, comparisons with the ambulant care of chronically ill patients as well as with the results of model projects within the field of rehabilitation are made possible.
Beer
A M
AM
Modellabteilung für Naturheilkunde, Klinik Blankenstein, Hattingen.
Ostermann
T
T
Matthiessen
P F
PF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009324:Naturopathy