Post by Lorena Dini

How can research and clinical practice work together to improve care for older people living in rural areas? InATheGer (Intensified Interprofessional Outpatient Therapy for Geriatric Patients) is addressing this challenge through a family medicine-led model of care designed specifically for frail and multimorbid older adults in rural Germany. The intervention brings together interprofessional services, coordinated through primary care, to deliver comprehensive, patient-centred and accessible care close to where people live. What makes InATheGer particularly exciting is that it is not only an innovative care model but also an implementation science project evaluated through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a full health economic evaluation. This allows us to assess not only effectiveness, but also feasibility, implementation processes and value for money—key elements for sustainable health system transformation. For me, InATheGer is an example of how clinicians, researchers, patients, health insurers and regional partners can collaborate to co-design and evaluate solutions that respond to real-world healthcare challenges. Evidence generation and healthcare improvement should go hand in hand—and implementation science provides the bridge between both. #ImplementationScience #PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine #HealthServicesResearch #Geriatrics #IntegratedCare #RuralHealth #HealthSystems #Innovation #HealthEconomics #InATheGer