Deutsch Intern
Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry

ZSE-DUO

In the "ZSE-DUO" project, a new innovative care is implemented and evaluated in eleven centres for rare diseases throughout Germany. The treatment of patients presenting at a centre for rare diseases with unexplained symptoms is often very complex. The symptoms are often accompanied or even caused by psychiatric or psychosomatic diseases, which make the diagnosis even more difficult.

Therefore, the aim of ZSE-DUO is to improve the care of patients with unclear diagnoses, increase the rate of confirmed diagnoses and shorten the time to diagnosis. ZSE-DUO is a prospective, controlled trial with a two-phase cohort design. The innovative care cohort received combined somatic and mental health expertise.

This project is a co-operation between various university hospitals in Germany, the Alliance for Rare Diseases ACHSE e. V., and two health insurance companies.

The project is funded by public funds from the Innovation Fund of the Joint Federal Committee.

Publications

Hebestreit H, Zeidler C, Schippers C, de Zwaan M, Deckert J, Heuschmann P, Krauth C, Bullinger M, Berger A, Berneburg M, Brandstetter L, Deibele A, Dieris-Hirche J, Graessner H, Gündel H, Herpertz S, Heuft G, Lapstich AM, Lücke T, Maisch T, Mundlos C, Petermann-Meyer A, Müller S, Ott S, Pfister L, Quitmann J, Romanos M, Rutsch F, Schaubert K, Schubert K, Schulz JB, Schweiger S, Tüscher O, Ungethüm K, Wagner TOF, Haas K; ZSE-DUO working group. Dual guidance structure for evaluation of patients with unclear diagnosis in centers for rare diseases (ZSE-DUO): study protocol for a controlled multi-center cohort study. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2022 Feb 14;17(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s13023-022-02176-1.

Hebestreit H, Lapstich AM, Brandstetter L, Krauth C, Deckert J, Haas K, Pfister L, Witt S, Schippers C, Dieris-Hirche J, Maisch T, Tüscher O, Bârlescu L, Berger A, Berneburg M, Britz V, Deibele A, Graeßner H, Gündel H, Heuft G, Lücke T, Mundlos C, Quitmann J, Rutsch F, Schubert K, Schulz JB, Schweiger S, Zeidler C, Zeltner L, de Zwaan M; ZSE-DUO Working Group. Effect of the addition of a mental health specialist for evaluation of undiagnosed patients in centres for rare diseases (ZSE-DUO): a prospective, controlled trial with a two-phase cohort design. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Oct 6;65:102260. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102260.