APOSCREEN-1 is a prospective single-arm clinical trial evaluating the feasibility and diagnostic yield of a pharmacy-based multi-parametric screening for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic risk factors in 1000 adults across 20 community pharmacies in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome represents a major global health burden and is a leading driver of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.
APOSCREEN-1 is designed as a prospective, single-arm clinical trial conducted across 20 community pharmacies in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The screening protocol involves standardized point-of-care testing for multiple cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic risk parameters.
The primary outcomes of the trial include completion rate, implementation metrics from the pharmacy perspective, and the number needed to screen to detect unknown or insufficiently managed cardiometabolic risk factors.
Community pharmacies are identified as an accessible but underused setting for enhancing early detection of CKM syndrome risk factors outside traditional primary care settings.
This research describes the design of a clinical trial called APOSCREEN-1, which tests whether community pharmacies can effectively screen people for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health risks. The trial enrolls 1,000 adults aged 40 and older who visit any of 20 participating pharmacies in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. During a pharmacy visit, participants receive quick on-the-spot tests for blood sugar control (HbA1c), cholesterol levels, protein in the urine (a kidney damage marker), and blood pressure — conditions that together make up what is called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome. People whose results fall outside healthy ranges are then referred for follow-up testing with a doctor or at the study center. The motivation for this study is that CKM syndrome — which significantly raises the risk of heart disease, kidney failure, and diabetes — often goes undetected until serious organ damage has already occurred. Standard health screenings through primary care doctors have low participation rates, meaning many at-risk people are missed. Pharmacies are visited frequently and are easily accessible to the public, making them a potentially powerful but currently underutilized setting for catching these conditions early. This research suggests that pharmacies could serve as a practical front-line detection point for serious but often silent health risks. The trial is designed to measure not only how many previously undetected or poorly managed conditions are found, but also how feasible and acceptable the screening process is from both the pharmacy staff's and participants' perspectives. The researchers note that future studies will be needed to determine whether structured follow-up care after pharmacy-based screening leads to better long-term health outcomes.
Amelunxen E, Kokot A, Kolbrink B, Thomsen S, Meßtorff M, Laudes M, et al.. (2026). APOSCREEN-1 - a prospective, single-arm clinical trial for the implementation of a pharmacy-based screening for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic risk factors in Schleswig-Holstein.. BMC nephrology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-026-05090-x