Benefits of regular institutional membership

Members are welcome to participate in the network's current 25 working groups (Arbeitsgruppe) and expert groups (Fachgruppe). They can actively participate in the preparation of memoranda and/or publications of the DNVF working or expert groups. In addition, members can submit a proposal to the board of directors regarding the foundation of a new working or expert group and assume the coordination of the group if the board approves this establishment.

The DNVF is regularly invited by the IQTIG and the Federal Ministry of Health to participate in commenting procedures. The comments are prepared by the respective thematically qualified working and expert groups or, if necessary, by Ad hoc commissions. Ad hoc commissions are also established on other current tasks, activities and topics of the Network and of health services research. Participation is open to all members.

DNVF members receive a membership access key for the protected member area at www.dnvf.de. On these pages, internal information of the association is stored (e.g. minutes, draft resolutions, working papers, etc.). Working groups may work together on documents and initiate blogs on specific topics.

The DNVF memoranda prepared in the DNVF working groups are submitted to the institutional and corresponding members for commenting and then for final co-signing before publication. Within a given period of time, the members can decide whether they wish to be listed by name on the publication of a memorandum.

The voting rights of institutional members of Sections 1 (professional societies), 2 (scientific institutes and research associations) and 3 (legal entities and associations of persons) shall be represented at the MV by a person who needs to be determined in advance (representative/deputy or person with power of attorney). The members of sections 2 and 3 shall each have one vote. The professional association vote factor shall be calculated in such a way that the professional associations retain a significant influence in the network. Currently, professional societies' votes in the MV are weighted fivefold.

Members receive a discount at the DNVF Forum for Health Services Research. The regular participation fee is 95 € and the reduced fee for members and employees of DNVF member organizations is 55 €.

The DNVF annually awards the Wilfried Lorenz Health Care Research Prize, worth €2,500, which serves to further develop health care research in Germany and promote young scientists. The prize is awarded in memory of the DNVF's honorary member, Prof. Dr. Wilfried Lorenz (1939-2014). The prize is intended to honour and promote an individual or a group of scientists who are members of the DNVF and who apply with an original paper that has been published in a peer-reviewed Journal or has been accepted for publication in the 12 months preceding the call for applications. Members and staff of institutional DNVF members can also apply.

The DNVF publication organ is the journal "Das Gesundheitswesen". Memoranda and publications of the DNVF and its working and expert groups are published in this journal. DNVF members can access the DNVF publications free of charge via a direct link in the protected member area of the DNVF website. This also applies to the four DNVF pages in the journal "Monitor Versorgungsforschung" (MVF), which mainly refer to and report on DNVF events.

The DNVF newsletter for members is published about six times a year including current topics of health services research, job offers, reports on activities and links to DNVF publications.

The DNVF working group "Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO)" is available to DNVF members for free research advice on the selection of PRO instruments. To contact the working group, an application form is available in the protected member area, in which the applicant outlines criteria of his or her request.

The members of the institutional members have the possibility to apply for the scientific program with abstract contributions. In addition, the conference offers various presentation areas where institutional members can introduce themselves and their activities, present study programmes, research projects, etc. The professional societies are invited annually to nominate particularly successful health care research studies or projects to be presented on the conference.

The DNVF maintains a calendar of events on its homepage, in which institutional members as well as supporting members and corresponding members can publish their conference dates, workshops and meetings. The DNVF provides regular information on current events in its newsletter and in the journal Monitor Versorgungsforschung.