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Representativeness and external comparability of the InGef research database for epidemiological studies in Germany
M Alibone1, M Ludwig2, D Obermüller2
1InGef - Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin GmbH, Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 5, 10249, Berlin, Germany. marco.alibone@ingef.de.
BMC Health Services Research
|June 19, 2026
Summary
The InGef research database, with 10 million individuals, is a reliable source for public health research, showing strong demographic alignment and external comparability for disease indicators. This German claims data accurately reflects population health trends.
Area of Science:
- Public health research utilizing real-world data.
- Epidemiological studies and health services research.
- Analysis of anonymized statutory health insurance claims data.
Background:
- Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) claims data are increasingly vital for public health research in Germany.
- The InGef research database (RDB) contains anonymized claims data from approximately 10 million SHI-insured individuals.
- Evaluation of the InGef-RDB's representativeness and external comparability is crucial for its research application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the representativeness and external comparability of the InGef research database (RDB).
- To evaluate the database using selected disease-specific indicators, including lung cancer and bronchial asthma.
- To determine the suitability of the InGef-RDB as a valid data source for epidemiological and health services research.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses from 2015-2023.
- Assessment of follow-up duration, demographic representativeness, and external comparability.
- Comparison of lung cancer incidence/mortality and asthma prevalence/treatment with external data sources (DESTATIS, ZfKD, GKV-AI) using direct age and sex standardization.
Main Results:
- The InGef-RDB exhibits high demographic concordance with the German population (age/sex distribution deviation < 0.6%).
- Continuous observation for 73% of individuals over 9 years, with an average annual attrition rate of 2.4%.
- Lung cancer incidence and asthma prevalence/treatment closely matched external reference data, indicating good external comparability.
Conclusions:
- The InGef-RDB demonstrates strong demographic alignment and good external comparability.
- It is a valid and reliable real-world data source for population-based epidemiological and health services research.
- Appropriate methodological adjustments are recommended for optimal use of the InGef-RDB.
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