Background: The large-scale representative population surveys conducted by Germany's Robert Koch Institute RKI contain questions pertaining to health and its determinants as well as the prevalence and frequency of outpatient services utilization.
The purpose of this study is to examine the comparability of the instruments used in these surveys and their results.
The study also used data from the 26 waves of the SOEP and the 16 waves of the Bertelsmann Healthcare Monitor studies. Results: In the OW and the BGS, questions on outpatient services utilization differ by the types of physicians inquired about. The OW and the BGS also surveyed participants on the number of physician contacts made during those reference periods average number of contacts: 1.
The Bertelsmann Health Monitor also surveys participants on contacts made with four other types of physicians; the OW and the BGS ask about contacts made with over ten different types of physicians when examining the frequency of services use. Conclusions: Not only do the target groups of the RKI surveys, the SOEP and the Bertelsmann Health Monitor differ; their questions on outpatient care utilization also differ in terms of examined reference period and types of physicians contacted by survey participants, question wording including clarifications e.
Therefore, unlike the results of the surveys' questions on inpatient care, the results of questions on the use of outpatient care services are not easily comparable, even those regarding contact with primary care physicians and GPs. The results of secondary analyses of German SHI claims data could be used to confirm the external validity of the surveys' results.
