Katharina Schmidt-Mende

Katharina Schmidt-Mende

Affiliated to Research | Docent
Visiting address: Alfred Nobels Allé 23, 14183 Huddinge
Postal address: H1 Neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle, H1 Allmänmedicin och primärvård, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • I am general practitioner and specialist in internal medicine and work clinically in home health care. Since february 2025, I am assocaite professor in General Practice with affiliation both to the Academic primary health care centre, region Stockholm, and to the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of family Medicine and Primary Care.

    The driving force in my scientific and clinical work is the idea of equal and high-quality care for patients who have difficulties to make themselves heard. One such group is frail older adults with multimorbidity living at home, whom I care for as a general practitioner in primary care. Research in this population is sparse. Frail older people are generally excluded from randomized trials, leading to a significant mismatch between guidelines and their applicability in this patient group. My scientific research and clinical practice are interconnected, with research questions often emerging from my clinical experiences.

    The region-based HAMPUS research group I lead - Holistic Approaches to Multimorbidity in Primary Care: Unveiling Sustainable Solutions - was established 2018 and is dedicated to improving care for older adults with multimorbidity, with primary care as the foundation for long-term support. We believe care should be coordinated, evidence-based, and centered on patients’ needs, preferences, and well-being. 

    The Hampus research group with 9 members consists of both senior and junior researchers. Hampus has expertise in primary care, emergency care, nursing, epidemiology, qualitative methodology, clinical pharmacology, teaching, pedagogical research and digital decision support.

    Hampus members are affiliated to the Academic primary health care center, the Divisions of Family Medicine and Primary Care and Nursing at the Department of Neurobiology, Care sciences and Society, the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Institute of Environmental medicine and Healthcare Services Board at either Region Stockholm or Karolinska Institutet. 

    Group members are: 

    Pia Bastholm Rahmner, PhD, behavioural scientist 

    Monica Bergqvist, PhD, registered nurse 

    Hanna Bring, MD, PhD student, resident GP 

    Eric Chen, MD, PhD student, resident GP 

    Birgit Eiermann, MScPharm, PhD, pharmacist 

    Lars L Gustafsson, Professor in Clinical Pharmacology 

    Clare Tazzeo, PhD, post doc researcher in epidemiology 

    Anikó Vég, PhD, special educator 

     

    Through this multidisciplinary approach, HAMPUS creates sustainable solutions that improve care and enhance the quality of life for older adults with multimorbidity - shaping a more responsive and effective primary care system. 

    We have established national and international collaborations. 

    At KI: 

    Associate professor Karin Modig at Institute of Environmental Medicine 

    Associate Professor and specialist in cardiology Carolina Szummer, Karolinska University Hospital 

    In Sweden: 

    Professor Björn Wettermark, MScPharm, Uppsala University 

    Internationally: 

    UK: Professor Bruce Guthrie, Professor Stewart Mercer, both GPs, University of Edinburgh 

    Denmark: Professor Jens Søndergaard, GP and clinical pharmacologist, University of Southern Denmark 

    Germany: Associate Professor Marcus Ebeling, Dr. rer. Pol, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and Rostock University 

    The group has raised >30 million SEK in national and regional funding since 2018. 

    National:  

    Swedish Research Council, FORTE, King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria’s Foundation 

    Regional:  Center for Innovative MEDicine, ALF, NSV, regional grants for clinical researchers and PhD students 

Research

  • We address two main research areas: 

    1. Improving Quality of Care and Care Models 

    We explore how primary care can better support older adults with multiple conditions by developing care models that reduce emergency visits and improve outcomes. By analysing current practices—needs assessment, service coordination, and communication—we identify gaps such as fragmented care and conflicting treatments. These insights guide interventions that enhance collaboration and actively involve patients, caregivers, and home care staff. 

    2. Multimorbidity-Oriented Treatment Approaches 

    Most clinical guidelines target single diseases, overlooking frail patients with multiple coexisting conditions. HAMPUS develops and evaluates strategies for multimorbidity, aiming for safe, practical interventions in everyday primary care. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we assess management of complex conditions—such as heart failure or dementia—to better understand how illnesses and treatments interact and affect frail older adults.Our work strengthens the evidence base for multimorbidity care and translates it into practice. We share results with healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organisations through training and policy recommendations. By combining clinical, epidemiological, and qualitative perspectives, we ensure our research remains directly relevant to primary care. 

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Keeping frail older adults out of the emergency department – Exploring the roles of primary care professionals and opportunities for task reallocation
    Region Stockholm (NSV Projektmedel)
    1 January 2026 - 31 December 2028
  • Optimizing heart failure treatment in older patients with comorbidities: bridging the gap between guidelines and clinical practice in primary care
    Svenska Läkaresällskapet (SLS Projektanslag - Multisjuklighet)
    1 January 2026 - 31 December 2027
  • Keeping frail Older Adults Out of the emergency department – PROACT, a Complex Intervention in Swedish Home and Primary Care
    Region Stockholm - klinisk forskare
    1 January 2026 - 31 December 2027
  • Prevention of emergency visits among frail older patients in primary care - development of a complex intervention in Swedish healthcare (P)
    Centrum för innovativ medicin CIMED
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2027
  • Does primary care follow drug treatment recommendations in older multi-diseased heart failure patients, and does it make a difference? A mixed-methods project in Swedish primary care
    ALF Region Stockholm
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026
  • PhD grant: Does primary care follow drug treatment recommendations in older multi-diseased heart failure patients, and does it make a difference? A mixed-methods project in Swedish primary care
    Region Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet
    8 October 2023 - 31 October 2029
  • PhD grant: Potentially preventable emergency department visits in frail older patients in Region Stockholm: trigger factors and variation between primary care practices
    1 October 2022 - 31 October 2028
  • Post doc grant: Prevention of emergency visits among frail older patients in primary care - development of a complex intervention in Swedish healthcare
    Stockholm Regional Council
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2025
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
  • Why and how often do older home care patients need emergency care, and how may it be prevented? A mixed-methods project in Region Stockholm
    Nätverksjukvård
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2024

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2026
  • Specialist in General Practice, Stockholm Health Care Services, 2009-2012

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, General Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2025
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2019
  • Specialist in Internal Medicine, Socialstyrelsen, 2009

Distinction and awards

  • Stipendium, Awarded 700.000 SEK over 4 years as PI, 2021-2025, King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria’s Masonic Foundation for Aging Research (Kung Gustaf V och Drottning Victorias Frimurarstiftelse för åldersforskning), 2021

Supervision

  • Anna-Kathleen Piereth, The consequences of disease prevention for population-level trends in health and mortality in Sweden and other low-mortality countries, 2024-
  • Yuge Chang, Determinants of- and pathways to an exceptionally long life. Analyses of centenarians and non-centenarians in relation to biomarkers, health profiles and disease trajectories., 2023-
  • Eric Chen, How are heart failure patients diagnosed and treated in primary care? To what extent are treatment recommendations followed for older multi-diseased heart failure patients? A mixed-methods project in Swedish primary care, 2023-
  • Hanna Bring, Potentially preventable emergency department visits in frail older patients in Region Stockholm: trigger factors and variations between primary care practices, 2022-

Visiting research fellowships

  • Clinical postdoc funded by KI and Region Stockholm (SLSO:s FoUU- kommitté). Topic: Prevention of emergency department visits among frail older patients in primary care – a complex intervention in Swedish healthcare., Stockholm region, 2023-2025

Conference/event participation

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