Author: Dr. med. Ralf Herold, Last modification: 2004/06/15

The Competence Network's Coordination and Management Group (Project A)

In 1997, the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) organized the public contest 'Competence Networks for Medicine - MedNet'. Its goal was to promote a transfer of knowledge from institutions of basic research to those of applied research. This initiated the Competence Network's founding and with it that of the Coordination and Management Group. Its intention is to support the establishment of nationwide networks for specific diseases with high morbidity and mortality. This particularly includes diseases that are suited as a model for other sicknesses and often are a considerable expense factor.

A well functioning and efficient network between research institutions and patient care is of great importance to pediatric oncology and hematology. An improvement of cooperation and information exchange between hospitals and research facilities enhances the quality of clinical research. This contributes to the improvement of diagnostics and therapy and ultimately to that of cure rates and the quality of life of children suffering from cancer.

To achieve this self set goal, the members of the Coordination and Management Group support the Competence Network's projects in different ways and simultaneously conduct their own.

The Coordination and Management Group is concerned with the coordination of information flow, the cooperation between hospitals and research institutions, the work of the ACRQC (Assistants in Clinical Research and Quality Control), an internal and external evaluation, and public relations. It offers services to all projects within the Competence Network.

Services

Among the services for realization of the different projects higher-level goals are:

• Editing and publication of the 'The Notices', a newsletter for the Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology and the Competence Network on Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, since 03/29/2000.

• Support of trial realization: Assistance with the identification and solution of general problems concerning collection, procession and evaluation of trial data. Help with the improvement of an exchange of information between trial coordination centers and hospitals. The prototype of a material management database for laboratories and the update of bibliographies on a regular basis is offered as a service to trial coordination centers. The Study Support Group is one of the Coordination and Management Groups own projects.

• Establishment and regular update of a literature database

• Certification and implementation of IT security

• Supervision of the Assistants for Clinical Research and Quality Control (ACRQC). ACRQC are active in 27 pediatric oncologic centers nationwide and play a central role in the Competence Network work. They are supervised, trained, informed and evaluated by the Coordination and Management Group.

Own Projects

The Coordination and Management Group's own projects include:

• Content management of the knowledge server

• Study support

Public Relations

• Vertical cross linking

• Assistants in Clinical Research and Quality Control (ACRQC)

• Evaluation

For detailed information on these projects please click 'Own Projects'

Management of the Competence Network's public relations is another major part of the Coordination and Management Groups responsibilities. This includes representing the Network on symposiums and congresses, organization of press conferences, and content management of the knowledge server (done in cooperation with project B/2 'Data Protection and IT Security, Knowledge Server'). The server's purpose is to offer information on cancer in children and adolescents to a broad public. The intention behind this is to reach patients as well as general practitioners (vertical cross linking). Running and editing this web site with its structured information for professionals is a part of this effort.