Poor management of one’s own health, less effective health system – compared to German-speaking regions of Austria, Switzerland or Italy, the situation in some areas of this country is downright bleak when it comes to avoidable deaths. According to a recent study, these are a problem, especially in northern and eastern Germany. Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt are particularly badly affected by the resulting reduction in life expectancy, the Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB) announced on Tuesday.
“But some regions in western Germany that are characterized by economic structural change, such as East Friesland, the Ruhr area and Saarland, also have a similarly high avoidable mortality rate.” According to the information, all deaths that could have been avoided through prevention, early detection or optimal treatment based on the current state of medical knowledge were classified as “avoidable”. In the study, the researchers, together with a colleague from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, examined more than 100 regions in German-speaking countries.
The lowest number of preventable deaths was recorded in Switzerland and South Tyrol, followed by western Austria and southern Germany. According to the information, the proportion of avoidable deaths among all deaths in Germany was around 19 percent in the period from 2017 to 2019. The proportion is higher for men at 24 percent than for women at 13 percent.
According to the study, a total of 245 to 270 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants were avoidable in some regions of eastern Germany in the years 2017 to 2019, while in many southern German regions only 165 to 185 deaths belonged to this category.
“Although the south of Germany with the metropolitan region of Munich and southern Baden-Württemberg is in a relatively good position in a German comparison, the avoidable mortality in Switzerland and South Tyrol is noticeably lower,” explained mortality researcher Michael Mühlichen from the Federal Institute. The distance to Switzerland and South Tyrol has grown in recent years.
In his estimation, there is still potential in all regions of Germany to reduce avoidable deaths – for example through more prevention and better early detection. According to the scientists, the high number of preventable deaths contrasts with the per capita expenditure in German healthcare, which is among the highest in a global comparison. Among other things, the authors see a need for improvement in the fight against smoking or alcohol abuse. Germany is also lagging behind when it comes to early detection.
According to the study, “avoidable mortality” includes deaths under the age of 75. On the basis of the cause of death statistics, the researchers differentiate between “medically avoidable” cases that could have been prevented with appropriate and timely treatment, and cases that could have been prevented with efficient prevention. Standardized mortality rates served as the basis for the calculations.
