At the heart of the EgePan Unimed project is developing a pandemic management system encompassing national and regional healthcare networks, with university hospitals as the central axes of this structure. The goal is optimized pandemic management considering the German healthcare system’s complex federal and regional circumstances. Given the dramatic effects of the pandemic, from lockdowns to the risk of overloading the healthcare system, EgePan Unimed has developed innovative solutions and new approaches to enable an efficient and coordinated response to the pandemic.  

Strategic objective 

EgePan Unimed pursued the ambitious goal of developing a robust pandemic management system that builds on the strengths of regional healthcare networks, with university hospitals as central hubs. This approach aimed to achieve optimized pandemic management that effectively considers the German healthcare system’s federal and regional characteristics. 

Challenges and innovative solutions 

Faced with the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19–from lockdowns to the threat of overburdening the healthcare system–EgePan Unimed developed innovative solutions and approaches. Regional pandemic concepts were transmitted into a coherent overall concept through extensive experience gained at the pandemic’s beginning. 

Core results and their implementation 

The achievements of EgePan Unimed are diverse and impressive. The concrete results include: [bold - headline, text expandable menu] 

• Standardized surveys: Effective inpatient and outpatient pandemic management measures and trans-sectoral communication were systematically recorded. That included the pandemic’s impact on medical staff’s health, with appropriate strategies to ensure this, including introducing employee assistance programs. 
• Mathematical modeling: A specialized working group pooled national expertise in mathematical modeling of the course of the pandemic and bed availability. That led to the development of ensemble models used in real capacity management and optimized the management of the necessary capacities for regular and intensive care beds in hospitals. 
• Use of routine data: In cooperation with the RKI, data-based risk stratification was tested as a basis for vaccination prioritization, which attracted widespread media attention. 
• International strategies: International pandemic events and established control strategies were analyzed to enable partial adaptation to German conditions. 
• Digital infrastructure components: Several working groups developed digitally supported infrastructure components for outpatient (remote COVID diagnostics and home monitoring) and inpatient (tele-intensive care) pandemic management. 

Outlook and PREPARED project 

The results and findings of EgePan Unimed are now being incorporated into developing an overarching “Pandemic Preparedness” concept of the National Network of University Medicine. The PREPARED project, which will start in September 2022, will build on these results to strengthen Germany’s ability to respond to future pandemics. 

EgePan Unimed exemplifies a paradigmatic shift in pandemic management based on the power of scientific research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the rapid translation of findings into practical applications. This project has shown that effective pandemic management is only possible through the close cooperation of all health policy stakeholders and has thus taken an important step towards a more resilient healthcare infrastructure.