Subject

In 2008 the service sector contributed about 70 % to the gross domestic product of Germany. Hence, the macroeconomic value added of services is more than twice as much as the value added of the industry sector. Down to the present day, however, there is a lack of theoretical and practical concepts to measure, assess, design and particularly to increase the productivity of services. For that reason, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) originated a funding initiative in the field of "Service Productivity" embedded in its overriding emphasis on "Innovative Services". Within the scope of this initiative, the BMBF supports various projects concerning the increase of service productivity.

service4health aims at developing and testing concepts and measures to increase the productivity in hospitals, considering human diversity. The project is focused on a most important branch of the service sector, health services. Currently this domain is affected by most diverse influences and changes. Moreover, health services have to assure and increase their productivity. People, patients and service provider shall profit by innovative and advanced concepts.

Cost and quality pressure as well as demographic and ethnic diversity consistently challenge hospitals. Against this background, hospitals have to know, to retain and to increase their productivity in the varying areas of operation and processes.