Perspectives for rheumatological health services research at the German Rheumatism Research Center

This review article summarizes the current projects and perspectives of rheumatological healthcare research in the program area epidemiology of the German Rheumatism Research Center. Health services research is conducted with the help of various data sources. In addition to the classical rheumatological disease registers, health insurance data and population-related cohorts are increasingly being used for analyses. From data collection and monitoring to analysis algorithms, digital applications will change the healthcare research over the coming years. Collaborative analyses with national and international cooperation partners, including biomarkers, complete the research fields in the program area epidemiology. The digitalization of research projects is a central component that will further change health services research in the coming decade.