First EFIC® Symposium Societal Impact of Pain - SIP

Norbert Schmacke
Prof. Dr. Norbert Schmacke
Arbeits- und Koordinierungsstelle Gesundheitsversorgungsforschung
Evidence in pain or pain in evidence?
Pain management for patients with osteoarthritis
of the knee can be considered as a perfect
example for describing systematic deficits in
today’s clinical research. The talk will start by
explaining the controversial debate about the
results of a relevant three-armed randomized
trial that led to the reimbursement of acupuncture
by the Germany statutory health insurance
system for this specific pain management. Secondly
data will be presented about arthroscopic
debridement for osteoarthritis of the knee. Finally
the question is raised which study designs
might be more appropriate for developing reliable
evidence-based recommendations for a
growing public health problem like this.
Norbert Schmacke * 1948
1973 M.D. (University of Marburg)
1974 Ph.D. (med.), University of
Gießen
1983 Specialist in Internal Medicine
1983 – 1994 Head, Department of Social
Medicine, Public Health Office
Bremen City
1986 Specialist in Social Medicine
1994 – 1999 President, Academy of Public
Health, Düsseldorf
1995 Postdoctoral Thesis
(Social Medicine),
University of Bremen
1999 – 2003 Head, Department of
Managed Care, Federal
Association of the Local
Health Funds (AOK), Bonn
2003- Professor of Health Sciences,
Bremen University, and Head,
Working and Coordinating
Group ‘Health Services
Research’
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