Research in Health Services & Regions

"Research in Health Services and Regions" is an e-only open access journal publishing high-quality scientific original articles, reviews and brief communications. The journal provides a forum for scientists focusing on health services research - in and for regions. Regional comparisons, whether on a small scale or based on larger areas, are becoming more and more important for health policy decisions that cover a broad spectrum of aspects ranging from benchmarking to locally adapted interventions to the identification of unfavourable variation in health care delivery. Regional aspects are also fundamental when validating the implementation of medical care guidelines. Regional variations and demographic shifts influence access to health care, patient behaviour, and the range of available health care services.

Publications in "Research in Health Services and Regions" address methods of and databases for regionally based health services research as well as epidemiological and clinical health care variation, and the planning, implementation, validation and comparison of projects adapted in regions according to special needs. All submissions are subject to single-blind peer review. The journal aims to offer international scientists a platform to exchange research and ideas in the field of regionalised health services research. Ideally, the journal will facilitate learning on a global scale that translates into concrete action on a regional scale, and will provide global learning experiences for regional health policy or local actions.  

The journal is initiated and fully funded by the Central Research Institute for Ambulatory Health Care in the Federal Republic of Germany (Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in Deutschland, Zi). This research institution is a tax-exempt not-for-profit foundation under civil law, established in 1973 by the 17 regional associations of statutory health insurance physicians and the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Germany. Zi is financed predominantly by the 17 regional associations and is based in Berlin, Germany.