Projects
Heat waves are also occurring with increasing frequency in Germany—a trend that is expected to intensify as a result of climate change. Extreme heat can have significant health consequences: According to the Robert Koch Institute, approximately 20,000 deaths in Germany between 2018 and 2020 alone were heat-related. People with multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity) are particularly at risk, in part because high temperatures can affect the efficacy and tolerability of certain medications.
Against this backdrop, the ADAPT-HEAT project developed the so-called CALOR list (Latin: calor = heat). It provides a structured overview of medications relevant to heat stress, as well as guidance on the safe use of these medications during heat waves.
The CALOR list was initially based on a comprehensive literature review, from which a first draft was created. In addition, the research team linked claims data from statutory health insurance with weather data from past years to gain further scientific insights into medication use during heat waves. In a multi-stage Delphi process, experts from various fields (physicians, nurses, and pharmacists) revised the list and reached a consensus on the included recommendations. Finally, the list was tested in a field trial to assess its applicability in medical practices, hospitals, nursing homes, and pharmacies.
The CALOR list for healthcare professionals is available here for viewing and download. By the end of the project in December 2026, a short version and a digital version of the list will also be developed, and the key points will be presented in layman’s terms with the involvement of patients.
The CALOR list is intended to reduce uncertainty regarding the use of medications during heat waves and to provide healthcare professionals with a solid foundation for counseling and care. At the same time, the project supports patients in using medications safely during heat waves. In this way, ADAPT-HEAT not only makes an important contribution to individual healthcare but also strengthens the healthcare system’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Duration
January 2024 to December 2026
Consortium Lead
Institute of General Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne
Consortium Partners
The ADAPT-HEAT project is being carried out in collaboration with the PMV research group at the University Hospital of Cologne and the Institutes of General Medicine and Palliative Medicine, as well as the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at Hannover Medical School.
Collaborating Partner
Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Westphalia-Lippe
Editorial Support and Layout
TAKEPART Media + Science GmbH
Funding Institution
Innovation Committee of the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA)
Contact Person
Dr. Alina Herrmann
Email allgemein-calor-liste@uk-koeln.de
The goal of the P-SUP research project was to test new approaches to help people with chronic type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or coronary heart disease manage their conditions on their own. If successful, the results can be used to expand existing structured treatment programs (Disease Management Programs, DMPs) for type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease by incorporating an individually tailored self-management support program.
The project consisted of four components:
- Weekly peer support groups led by people living with the conditions. Group participants received guidance on several occasions from professional therapists and experts in the fields of nutrition, medicine, group dynamics, motivation, and stress management on how to get sufficient exercise and maintain a balanced diet.
- An online platform that additionally covered the topics of exercise/physical activity, nutrition, and motivation for behavioral change, and provided participants and group leaders with an opportunity to exchange ideas.
- Needs-based telephone coaching to provide motivational support for sustainable changes in health behaviors for selected participants.
- Patient-centered, personalized feedback reports on laboratory test results and other clinical parameters, which were discussed with the participant’s primary care physician.
Study Participants
Study participants (individuals insured by statutory health insurance plans and residing in North Rhine-Westphalia) were enrolled through their primary care practices, which had been recruited in advance by the participating institutes of general medicine (Aachen, Bonn, Essen, Düsseldorf, Cologne). The study region was within the area covered by the North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. A total of 1,207 patients were enrolled. Participation in P-SUP is intended to positively influence the long-term course of the disease in those affected through improved self-management and changes in dietary and physical activity habits. The primary outcome measure was a reduction in hospital admissions.
Duration
November 2019 – June 2024
Consortium Lead
Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology (IGKE) at the University Hospital of Cologne (Prof. Dr. Stephanie Stock)
Funding Institution
Innovation Committee of the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA)
Contact Person
Iris Dapper
Email iris.dapper@uk-koeln.de
Phone +49 221 478-65486
The Institute of General Medicine was awarded funding for a collaborative project to establish a sustainable network of research practices in general medicine, with the aim of strengthening general medical research as part of the “Master Plan for Medical Education 2020.”
HAFO.NRW consists of the general practice institutes and departments at the universities of Aachen, Bochum, Bonn, Düsseldorf (consortium leader), Essen, Cologne, Münster, and Witten, and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total of 3.75 million euros over five years.
The goal of the project, named “hafo.nrw,” is to establish a sustainable research infrastructure for family medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW): One tandem consisting of a physician and medical assistants per practice is to be trained in healthcare and epidemiological research—and, in some cases, in clinical research as well—and will collaborate closely with the universities on projects. Nationwide, six such networks are receiving funding; they are linked through a central coordinating office and are expected to collaborate in the future.
Approximately 90 percent of medical care takes place in private practice, with a large portion of that occurring in general practice offices. The hafo.nrw consortium will make an important contribution to robust research of high methodological quality in this vital sector and, in doing so, strengthen general practice research as a whole in the long term.
Contact
Dr. rer. medic. Lion Lehmann
Email lion.lehmann@uk-koeln.de
Phone +49 221 478-65485
Fax +49 221 478-77257
Contact Person
Prof. Beate Müller
Email beate.mueller@uk-koeln.de
Phone +49 221 478-32170
The web-based reporting system jeder-fehler-zaehlt.de (JFZ) allows family physicians, medical assistants, and other professionals working in outpatient care to anonymously report errors and critical incidents from their daily practice.
The goal of the project is to learn from errors, make practice processes safer, and promote an open, constructive culture of error management and safety.
JFZ was originally developed by the Institute of General Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and is now being continued as a cross-site project.
For more information, visit: www.jeder-fehler-zaehlt.de
Contacts:
Dr. rer. medic. Lion Lehmann
Email lion.lehmann@uk-koeln.de
Phone +49 221 478-65485
Fax +49 221 478-77257
“VERF-AK – Improving the Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease Through a Tiered Diagnostic Approach”
Each year, approximately 440,000 people in Germany are newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Timely diagnosis and early initiation of treatment are crucial for the course of the disease. However, current healthcare systems exhibit significant shortcomings. Dementia is often diagnosed too late or inaccurately. General practitioners, in particular, frequently face the challenge of making an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, as symptoms in the early stages are nonspecific and difficult to classify. Specialized diagnostic centers, such as the Center for Memory Disorders at the University Hospital of Cologne, have limited capacity, leading to long wait times.
The VERF-AK project aims to address these care challenges through a tiered diagnostic approach by establishing an expert-based interface between general practitioners’ offices and specialized diagnostic centers. The expert-based interface conducts an initial evaluation and provides information on further diagnostic steps (including biomarker testing). Depending on the results and the patient’s preference, the patient is either referred to the memory clinic or, alternatively, referred back to the referring primary care practice with recommendations. This new model of care will be evaluated in Cologne and Göttingen as part of a cluster-randomized trial. The goal is to achieve earlier and more precise referrals to diagnostic centers, provide rapid support to primary care physicians, and prevent overdiagnosis. A key task of the Institute of General Medicine is to gather feedback from the participating primary care physicians, as well as from patients and their families, regarding their experiences with this new model of care.
Duration
October 2025 – September 2028
Consortium Leader
Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne
Consortium Partners
BARMER, Cortex Management GmbH, Georg-August University of Göttingen, GWQ ServicePlus AG, University of Leipzig
Funding Institution
Innovation Committee of the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA)
Contact Person
, Dr. rer. medic. Lion Lehmann
Email lion.lehmann@uk-koeln.de
Phone +49 221 478-65485
Fax +49 221 478-77257
“KLUG – Climate Policy and Health Inequality”
As climate change progresses, municipal climate protection and adaptation measures—such as heat action plans—are becoming increasingly important. The focus here is on the relationship between urban environmental factors, age, and health. International studies show that access to so-called “blue and green areas”—that is, bodies of water and green spaces—leads to a reduction in heat-related hospitalizations among older adults with chronic conditions, particularly during heat waves. However, little attention has been paid so far to the pronounced social gradient that is reflected both in the availability of these protective blue and green areas and in the frequency and type of chronic diseases. People in low-income neighborhoods therefore tend to have poorer access to climatic protective factors and, at the same time, face greater health burdens. Against this backdrop, there is a danger that existing social inequalities will be further exacerbated by climate policies that lack adequate social support—with the risk of a new dimension of health deprivation. The planned project takes this challenge as its starting point and will first identify international best-practice solutions for reducing social inequality through climate policy, and then discuss experts’ views on the identified best-practice solutions in the model region of Cologne/Bonn. Finally, exemplary data-driven approaches will be presented for incorporating socioeconomic data into the development of heat action plans.
Duration
July 2025 – December 2025
Project Coordination
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Center for Health Communication and Health Services Research (CHSR), University Hospital Bonn
Funding Institution
Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia
Contact
Dr. rer. medic. Lion Lehmann
Email: lion.lehmann@uk-koeln.de