📌 InGef – Germany 🇩🇪

🔍 What is it?

The Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin (InGef) database is a German healthcare claims database containing real-world data (RWD) from statutory health insurance (SHI) funds. It provides comprehensive longitudinal patient data and is widely used for epidemiological, health services, and pharmacoepidemiology research.

📊 Key Features & Scope

📍 Geographical coverage: Germany 🇩🇪
🏥 Data type: Claims data, including diagnoses, prescriptions, hospital stays, outpatient visits, and healthcare utilization
🕒 Time coverage: Continuous data collection for over 10 years
👥 Population covered: Over 8 million anonymized insured persons, covering a representative sample of the German population
🔄 Longitudinal data: Allows for long-term patient follow-up
📈 Pathologies: Covers a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and respiratory diseases

✅ Strengths & Best Use Cases

🌍 Representative of the German healthcare system – Data from multiple SHI funds, covering a broad patient population
💊 Pharmacoepidemiology & drug utilization – Comprehensive prescription data, useful for studying medication adherence and treatment patterns
📈 Health services research – Enables analysis of healthcare utilization, costs, and disease burden
🚀 Chronic disease epidemiology – Tracks disease incidence and prevalence in a large population

⚠️ Limitations & Considerations

🏥 Limited clinical detail – Does not include lab results or physician notes
📉 Potential data lag – Claims data may have delays in reporting. Analyses is limited to a look-back period of 6 years

📚 How to Access & Learn More

🔗 Access: Requires formal research approval through InGef
🎓 Publications: link to relevant studies
📄 More info: InGef