The Child Health Care System of Germany.

Abstract

We describe the strengths and challenges of the child health care system in Germany and also provide an outlook on future health plans, focusing on making idiosyncrasies of national health care services in Europe understandable to those pediatricians working in other countries. The aim should be to avoid those unnecessary processes in child care which, unless abandoned, may be responsible for a poor outcome of child health. Larger countries, such as Germany, have many distinct regional differences. When it comes to problem-solving strategies, pediatricians must be aware of unavoidable cultural and historic differences that may influence the outcome of care. Even when assuming unlimited financial resources, different regional priorities might result in diverging goals.