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Background: Primary care physicians (PCP) play a key role in the care of people living with dementia. However, the implementation and practicability of the German S3 Dementia Guideline in primary care remain unclear. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate an intervention for improving guideline‐based dementia care in primary care. Design: A two‐arm, 9‐month follow‐up cluster‐randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Setting: 28 primary care practices in Berlin and the surrounding area in Germany. Participants: A total of N = 28 PCP, N = 91 people living with dementia, and N = 88 informal caregivers participated in the trial. Intervention: A tablet‐based intervention to improve adherence to the German S3 Dementia Guideline in primary care was compared to a control group (care as usual plus a handbook on dementia). MeasurementsAdherence to dementia guideline (primary outcome) was measured on PCP' (23 items) and informal caregivers' level (19 items) with a self‐developed checklist. Secondary outcomes (quality of life, neuropsychiatric symptoms, activities of daily living, general health status, depression, and caregiver burden) were measured with standardized assessments. Also, post‐hoc per‐protocol analyses were conducted. Results: No differences in guideline adherence between the intervention and the control group were observed. Further, no significant impact of the intervention on secondary outcomes was detected. Conclusion: The DemTab Study did not improve self‐reported guideline adherence in PCP. However, important implementation barriers such as lack of interoperability and low applicability of existing German S3 Dementia Guideline in the primary care setting were identified and are being discussed. Trial registration: The DemTab trial was prospectively registered with the ISRCTN registry (Trial registration number: ISRCTN15854413). Registered 01 April 2019, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15854413. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients using the Major Depression Inventory (MDI), identify possible risk factors, and analyze the current standard of care to raise awareness and improve clinical care for SSc patients. Patients and methods: The study included 94 SSc patients (12 males, 82 females; mean age 58.3±13.6 years; range, 28 to 83 years) who completed the MDI, Short Form 36 Health Survey, Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire, Brief Fatigue Inventory and Physical Activity Questionnaire. Clinical parameters were assessed according to standardized procedures. Discharge letters were analyzed for evaluation of depressive symptoms. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 22.3%. It correlated with female sex (p=0.047), underweight (p=0.002), fatigue (p<0.001), decreased quality of life (p<0.001) and less physical activity (p=0.048). The latter three were confirmed as independent risk factors in a multivariable regression analysis. The analysis of the current standard of care revealed no assessment of depressive symptoms in the majority of patients (89.4%), including 19 with depressive symptoms according to the MDI score. Conclusion: This study confirms the high prevalence of depressive symptoms in SSc patients. There is an unmet need of regular assessment of mental health during SSc consultations. Fatigue, decreased quality of life and reduced physical activity were ascertained as independent risk factors, while special attention should also be paid to weight loss and underweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]