The umbrella organisation Salutogenese e.V. (Göttingen) and the Institute of General Practice and Primary Care (iamag) at Witten/Herdecke University have jointly founded an office "Research on Salutogenesis and Positive Health in Primary Care".
A detailed introduction to the concept can be found in the article Positive Health.
An overview of the method is shown in the Illustration of the spider's web.
You are also welcome to listen to our podcast "Versorgungslücke". In the latest episode, you can find out more about Positive Health - from a scientific perspective and with a view to practical application.
In the 2024/2025 school year, the Positive Health approach was introduced for the first time at two comprehensive schools in Witten. This was based on a cooperative, participatory process as part of the Healthy City of Witten (GeWIT) project. GeWIT is implemented by the city of Witten and the Institute of General Practice and Primary Care (iamag) at Witten/Herdecke University, funded by Techniker Krankenkasse and supported by the Institute for Positive Health.
Together with an external child and youth coach, teachers developed customised interventions to permanently anchor positive health in everyday school life.
Before implementation, all participants received methodological training from the Institute for Positive Health. The schools then took different paths:
Initial experiences and outlook
The focus of the work is the question: "How are you?" - a simple but effective invitation to dialogue. Initial results show that children and young people need protected spaces and time to talk about their well-being. Positive Health opens up new opportunities for this - from individual prevention to strengthening the school culture.
The projects "Look out for each other. Be there for each other. Learning together. - The buddY project" and "My Positive Health - Empowerment in the classroom" receive the North Rhine-Westphalia Health Award 2024.
The award ceremony will take place on 26 August 2025 at the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs in Düsseldorf.
Further information on the GeWIT project can be found HERE
News on the NRW Health Award ceremony
The "Positive Health Innovation" project is concerned with the development and evaluation of an intervention to promote patient-centred dialogue in GP practices. The potential of the Positive Health counselling concept developed in the Netherlands is to be analysed and further developed with a view to its application in German healthcare. To this end, health-promoting counselling sessions for patients receiving longitudinal care are to be tested using the Positive Health approach. Subsequent referral to psychosocial support or measures in the region will be facilitated where necessary.
Further information can be found on the project page.
We are pleased about the broad interest in the "Positive Health" counselling concept and have established a quarterly GP quality circle for the purpose of peer-to-peer exchange. The first joint meeting in July 2024 was very well received. Medical colleagues who have already had initial experience with Positive Health or have been working with the concept for some time can join at any time!
The next dates will take place online via Zoom on 21 January 2025 and 8 April 2025 from 18:30 to 20:00.
Registrations and further information at Alexandra.Piotrowski@uni-wh.
In cooperation with Positive Health International, the Positive Health Germany association offers webinars, training courses and workshops for medical colleagues who would like to learn about the counselling concept. Further information can be found at www.positive-gesundheit.eu.
At the DEGAM Congress, Professor Dr Achim Mortsiefer from Witten/Herdecke University and Dr Karolien van den Brekel from Positive Health International presented the first experiences with Positive Health in Germany in a workshop. This is a holistic counselling tool for medical consultations that integrates biological, psychological and social aspects. The participants showed great interest in this innovative method.
The key messages of this workshop were that Positive Health works in line with the concept of salutogenesis. It takes into account different areas of life and provides insights into the current concerns of patients. Positive Health supports a paradigm shift in which doctors not only treat, but also empower people to achieve their individual goals.
Professor Dr Achim Mortsiefer shared his practical experience as a GP during the workshop and explained for which target groups Positive Health is particularly suitable. If you would like to find out more about the implementation of this approach in Germany, please do not hesitate to contact us.
As a first step, an office "Research on Salutogenesis and Positive Health in Primary Care" of the umbrella organisation Salutogenesis was founded at the Institute of General Practice and Primary Care (iamag) at Witten/Herdecke University. We are working on the topic of "Positive Health" in cooperation with the Institute for Positive Health (iPH) in the Netherlands (headed by Karolien van den Brekel, Machteld Huber).
Prof. Dr med.
Chair holder
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Chair of General Medicine II and Patient Orientation in Primary Care
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: NB-2.038.2
Orcid ID: 0000-0001-9901-1727
Researcher
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Institute for General Practice and Outpatient Healthcare (iamag)
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 2.040
Researcher
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Institute for General Practice and Outpatient Healthcare (iamag)
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 2.040
Dr med.
Researcher
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Institute for General Practice and Outpatient Healthcare (iamag)
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 2.037.1
Study assistance
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Chair of General Medicine I and Interprofessional Care
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 2.037
Dr phil.
Researcher
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine) | Chair of General Medicine II and Patient Orientation in Primary Care
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 2.040