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Targeting dementia prevention, first trials addressing multiple modifiable risk factors showed promising results in at-risk populations. In Germany, AgeWell.de is the first large-scale initiative investigating the effectiveness of a multi-component lifestyle intervention against cognitive decline. We aimed to investigate the recruitment process and baseline characteristics of the AgeWell.de participants to gain an understanding of the at-risk population and who engages in the intervention. General practitioners across five study sites recruited participants (aged 60-77 years, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia/CAIDE dementia risk score ≥ 9). Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with eligible participants, including neuropsychological assessments. We analyzed group differences between (1) eligible vs. non-eligible participants, (2) participants vs. non-participants, and (3) between intervention groups. Of 1176 eligible participants, 146 (12.5%) dropped out before baseline; the study population was thus 1030 individuals. Non-participants did not differ from participants in key sociodemographic factors and dementia risk. Study participants were M = 69.0 (SD = 4.9) years old, and 52.1% were women. The average Montreal Cognitive Assessment/MoCA score was 24.5 (SD = 3.1), indicating a rather mildly cognitively impaired study population; however, 39.4% scored ≥ 26, thus being cognitively unimpaired. The bandwidth of cognitive states bears the interesting potential for differential trial outcome analyses. However, trial conduction is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring adjustments to the study protocol with yet unclear methodological consequences.

Background: Building interprofessional working relationships between physicians and pharmacists is essential to ensure high-quality patient care. To assess which factors influence the performance and success of their collaboration, validated instruments should be used, such as the Australian "Attitudes Toward Collaboration Instrument (ATCI)" and the "Frequency of Interprofessional Collaboration Instrument (FICI)". Both instruments were already translated in a previous German study, but not pretested for comprehensibility or cultural appropriateness to ensure that the target group is able to adequately answer the translated items., Objectives: To translate and particularly cross-culturally adapt two Australian instruments measuring physicians' and pharmacists' attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration and the frequency of their interactions for use in Germany., Methods: The ATCI and FICI were translated following internationally recognised guidelines. Two-step cognitive interviewing was performed with physicians and pharmacists working in ambulatory care in Germany. The "Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research" were used to report this study., Results: Overall, 2 forward and 2 back translations, and 38 cognitive interviews, i.e. cognitive probing (N = 10) and behaviour observation (N = 28), with 18 physicians and 20 pharmacists were performed. Experts discussed all potential changes. The ATCI and FICI were translated introducing 15 minor (e.g. paraphrasing, item order) and 6 major (e.g. 2 more items in FICI, additional response options) adaptations. The ATCI-P/GP-German and FICI-P/GP-German were found to be easy to answer and clearly-phrased., Conclusion: This study shows the importance of using recognised methods to translate and adapt questionnaires, consisting of at least four steps: forward translation, back translation, cognitive interviewing and finalisation (each reviewed by an expert panel making their decisions by consensus). A profoundly pretested German-speaking instrument is now available to evaluate and describe interprofessional collaboration between physicians and pharmacists. However, collecting further sociodemographic and contextual information seems necessary for enhanced interpretation of future results., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim of the Study: Collaboration between general practitioners and community pharmacists is essential to ensure safe and effective patient care. However, collaboration in primary care is not standardized and varies greatly. This review aims to highlight projects about professional collaboration in ambulatory care in Germany and identifies promising approaches and successful benchmarks that should be considered for future projects., Methods: A systematic literature search was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines to identify articles focusing on professional collaboration between general practitioners and pharmacists., Results: A total of 542 articles were retrieved. Six potential premises for successful cooperation projects were identified: GP and CP knowing each other (I), involvement of both health care providers in the project planning (II), sharing of experience or concerns during regular joint meetings enabling continuing evaluation and adaption (III), ensuring (technical) feasibility (IV), particularly by providing incentives (V), and by integrating these projects into existing health care structures (VI)., Conclusion: Only few studies have been published in scientific journals. There was no standardized assessment of how the participants perceived their collaboration and how it facilitates their daily work, even when the study aimed to evaluate GP-CP collaboration. Successful cooperation between GP and CP in daily routine care was often characterized by personal contact and longtime relationships. Therefore, collaborative teaching sessions at university might establish sympathy and mutual understanding right from the beginning. There is a strong need to establish standardized tools to evaluate collaboration in future projects and to enable comparability of different studies., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)