{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T16:24:06Z","timestamp":1787847846385,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]],"date-time":"2025-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753920000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]],"date-time":"2025-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753920000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002839","name":"Charit\u00e9 - Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002839","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Health Serv Res"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The German health care system maintains a strict division between inpatient and outpatient care, posing challenges for the continuity of care. Discharge management facilitates the transition from inpatient to outpatient settings. For psychiatric patients, sociotherapy is one transitional intervention that can be prescribed to inpatients at discharge and then provided in the outpatient setting. As a form of case management, it aims to motivate patients, coordinate care among providers, and ultimately reduce psychiatric hospital readmissions. However, the effectiveness of sociotherapy remains unclear due to a lack of randomized trials. This protocol describes an observational study investigating the causal impact of sociotherapy on psychiatric readmission rates.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We will use claims data from the largest statutory health insurance provider in Germany to evaluate the effect of sociotherapy as a discharge management measure on 30-day readmissions among patients who received psychiatric inpatient treatment. To reduce potential bias in this observational study we will use the target trial emulation framework. Quasi-randomization will be achieved through Propensity Score based methods, controlling for characteristics of the index event, patients' medical history, and relevant sociodemographic factors. Intention to treat and per protocol effects will be estimated with logistic regression models. Furthermore, we will analyze 365-day readmission rates, time to first psychiatric hospitalization within 365\u00a0days, total number of psychiatric hospitalizations within 365\u00a0days, and cumulative number of days in hospital due to psychiatric admissions within 365\u00a0days as secondary outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Our study will evaluate the effectiveness of sociotherapy as a transitional intervention following psychiatric hospitalization. By employing the Target Trial Emulation framework, we aim to generate robust, real-world evidence that can guide both clinical practice and policy-making, ultimately contributing to improved continuity of care for psychiatric patients.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Trial Registration<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Trial registration: DRKS, ISRCTNDRKS00035987. Registration on 17 February 2025\u2014Retrospectively registered, <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/drks.de\/register\/de\/trial\/DRKS00035987\" ext-link-type=\"uri\">https:\/\/drks.de\/register\/de\/trial\/DRKS00035987<\/jats:ext-link>\n            <\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-025-13137-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]],"date-time":"2025-07-31T18:15:23Z","timestamp":1753985723000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Evaluating the effectiveness of sociotherapy following psychiatric hospitalization: a target trial emulation protocol using German statutory health insurance data"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8009-1640","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raphael","family":"Kohl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2486-4630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sophia","family":"Zander","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1259-4294","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Hering","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7079-4721","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Udo","family":"Schneider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9598-0029","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefanie","family":"Schreiter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8991-9966","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julie L.","family":"O\u2019Sullivan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"13137_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Wiegand HF, Saam J, Marschall U, Chmitorz A, Kriston L, Berger M, et al. Challenges in the Transition from In-Patient to Out-Patient Treatment in Depression. Dtsch \u00c4rztebl Int. 2020; https:\/\/www.aerzteblatt.de\/https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3238\/arztebl.2020.0472. [cited 2024 Oct 17].","DOI":"10.3238\/arztebl.2020.0472"},{"key":"13137_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Lingnau R, Blum K, Willms G, Pollmann T, Gohmann P, Broge B. Entlassmanagement\u2013 Status quo und L\u00f6sungsans\u00e4tze zur Verbesserung. In: Klauber J, Wasem J, Beivers A, Mostert C, editors. Krankenhaus-Report 2021. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 2021. p. 83\u201398. Available from: http:\/\/link.springer.com\/https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-662-62708-2_5. [cited 2024 Apr 18].","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-662-62708-2_5"},{"issue":"6","key":"13137_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.bp.110.083733","volume":"199","author":"M Leamy","year":"2011","unstructured":"Leamy M, Bird V, Boutillier CL, Williams J, Slade M. 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The requirement for informed consent was waived by the competent governmental authority \u2014 the Federal Social Compensation Office \u2014 in accordance with Sect.\u00a075 (1) of the German Social Code, Book X (SGB X), as part of the official data release approval process, given that the study is based on anonymized claims data.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"1012"}}