scholarly journals A tablet-based intervention for activating nursing home residents with dementia: results from a cluster-randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Julie L. O’Sullivan ◽  
Sonia Lech ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Ulrike Grittner ◽  
Jan-Niklas Voigt-Antons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Psychotropic Medication ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Abstract Objectives: To investigate global and momentary effects of a tablet-based non-pharmacological intervention for nursing home residents living with dementia. Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial. Setting: Ten nursing homes in Germany were randomly allocated to the tablet-based intervention (TBI, 5 units) or conventional activity sessions (CAS, 5 units). Participants: N = 162 residents with dementia. Intervention: Participants received regular TBI (n = 80) with stimulating activities developed to engage people with dementia or CAS (n = 82) for 8 weeks. Measurements: Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-I, primary outcome), Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale, QUALIDEM scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale, and psychotropic medication (secondary outcomes). Momentary quality of life was assessed before and after each activity session. Participants and staff were blinded until the collection of baseline data was completed. Data were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. Results: Levels of apathy decreased slightly in both groups (mean decrease in AES-I of .61 points, 95% CI −3.54, 2.33 for TBI and .36 points, 95% CI −3.27, 2.55 for CAS). Group difference in change of apathy was not statistically significant (β = .25; 95% CI 3.89, 4.38, p = .91). This corresponds to a standardized effect size (Cohen’s d) of .02. A reduction of psychotropic medication was found for TBI compared to CAS. Further analyses revealed a post-intervention improvement in QUALIDEM scores across both groups and short-term improvements of momentary quality of life in the CAS group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that interventions involving tailored activities have a beneficial impact on global and momentary quality of life in nursing home residents with dementia. Although we found no clear advantage of TBI compared to CAS, tablet computers can support delivery of non-pharmacological interventions in nursing homes and facilitate regular assessments of fluctuating momentary states.

scholarly journals Reducing Antibiotic Prescriptions for Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Homes Using a Complex Tailored Intervention Targeting Nursing Home Staff: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sif Helene Arnold ◽  
Jette Nygaard Jensen ◽  
Marius Brostrøm Kousgaard ◽  
Volkert Siersma ◽  
Lars Bjerrum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Antibiotic Prescription ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Staff ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Cluster Randomized

BACKGROUND Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common reason for antibiotic prescription in nursing homes. Overprescription causes antibiotic-related harms in those who are treated and others residing within the nursing home. The diagnostic process in nursing homes is complicated with both challenging issues related to the elderly population and the nursing home setting. A physician rarely visits a nursing home for suspected UTI. Consequently, the knowledge of UTI and communication skills of staff influence the diagnosis. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to describe a cluster randomized controlled trial with a tailored complex intervention for improving the knowledge of UTI and communication skills of nursing home staff in order to decrease the number of antibiotic prescriptions for UTI in nursing home residents, without changing hospitalization and mortality. METHODS The study describes an open-label cluster randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups and a 1:1 allocation ratio. Twenty-two eligible nursing homes are sampled from the Capital Region of Denmark, corresponding to 1274 nursing home residents. The intervention group receives a dialogue tool, and all nursing home staff attend a workshop on UTI. The main outcomes of the study are the antibiotic prescription rate for UTI, all-cause hospitalization, all-cause mortality, and suspected UTI during the trial period. RESULTS The trial ended in April 2019. Data have been collected and are being analyzed. We expect the results of the trial to be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the fall of 2020. CONCLUSIONS The greatest strengths of this study are the randomized design, tailored development of the intervention, and access to medical records. The potential limitations are the hierarchy in the prescription process, Hawthorne effect, and biased access to data on signs and symptoms through a UTI diary. The results of this trial could offer a strategy to overcome some of the challenges of increased antibiotic resistance and could have implications in terms of how to handle cases of suspected UTI. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03715062; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03715062 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/17710

scholarly journals A Tablet ‐ Based Intervention for Activating Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: Results from a Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Lorraine O'Sullivan ◽  
Sonia Lech ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Ulrike Grittner ◽  
Jan-Niklas Voigt-Antons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Psychotropic Medication ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
People With Dementia

Abstract Objectives: To investigate global and momentary effects of a tablet-based non-pharmacological intervention for nursing home residents living with dementia.Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial.Setting: Ten nursing homes in Germany were randomly allocated to the tablet-based intervention (TBI, 5 units) or conventional activity sessions (CAS, 5 units).Participants: N = 162 residents with dementia. Intervention: Participants received regular TBI (n = 80) with stimulating activities developed to engage people with dementia or CAS (n = 82) for eight weeks.Measurements: Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-I, primary outcome), Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale, QUALIDEM scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale and psychotropic medication (secondary outcomes). Momentary quality of life was assessed before and after each activity session. Participants and staff were blinded until collection of baseline data was completed. Data was analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.Results: Levels of apathy decreased slightly in both groups (mean decrease in AES-I of .61 points, 95%CI: -3.54 to 2.33 for TBI and .36 points, 95%CI: -3.27 to 2.55 for CAS). Group difference in change of apathy was not statistically significant (B = .25; 95%CI: -3.89 to 4.38, p = .91). This corresponds to a standardized effect size (Cohen’s d) of .02. A reduction of psychotropic medication was found for TBI compared to CAS. Further analyses revealed a post-intervention improvement in QUALIDEM scores across both groups and short-term improvements of momentary quality of life in the CAS group.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that interventions involving tailored activities have a beneficial impact on global and momentary quality of life in nursing home residents with dementia. Although we found no clear advantage of TBI compared to CAS, tablet computers can support delivery of non-pharmacological interventions in nursing homes and facilitate regular assessments of fluctuating momentary states. Funding: German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds. Registry: ISRCTN98947160.

scholarly journals Reducing Antibiotic Prescriptions for Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Homes Using a Complex Tailored Intervention Targeting Nursing Home Staff: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/17710 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e17710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sif Helene Arnold ◽  
Jette Nygaard Jensen ◽  
Marius Brostrøm Kousgaard ◽  
Volkert Siersma ◽  
Lars Bjerrum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Antibiotic Prescription ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Staff ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common reason for antibiotic prescription in nursing homes. Overprescription causes antibiotic-related harms in those who are treated and others residing within the nursing home. The diagnostic process in nursing homes is complicated with both challenging issues related to the elderly population and the nursing home setting. A physician rarely visits a nursing home for suspected UTI. Consequently, the knowledge of UTI and communication skills of staff influence the diagnosis. Objective The objective of this study is to describe a cluster randomized controlled trial with a tailored complex intervention for improving the knowledge of UTI and communication skills of nursing home staff in order to decrease the number of antibiotic prescriptions for UTI in nursing home residents, without changing hospitalization and mortality. Methods The study describes an open-label cluster randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups and a 1:1 allocation ratio. Twenty-two eligible nursing homes are sampled from the Capital Region of Denmark, corresponding to 1274 nursing home residents. The intervention group receives a dialogue tool, and all nursing home staff attend a workshop on UTI. The main outcomes of the study are the antibiotic prescription rate for UTI, all-cause hospitalization, all-cause mortality, and suspected UTI during the trial period. Results The trial ended in April 2019. Data have been collected and are being analyzed. We expect the results of the trial to be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the fall of 2020. Conclusions The greatest strengths of this study are the randomized design, tailored development of the intervention, and access to medical records. The potential limitations are the hierarchy in the prescription process, Hawthorne effect, and biased access to data on signs and symptoms through a UTI diary. The results of this trial could offer a strategy to overcome some of the challenges of increased antibiotic resistance and could have implications in terms of how to handle cases of suspected UTI. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03715062; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03715062 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/17710

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Brief Intervention for Promoting Mental Health among Employees in Social Enterprises: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedicte Deforche ◽  
Jasmine Mommen ◽  
Anne Hublet ◽  
Winnie De Roover ◽  
Nele Huys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Evidence on the effectiveness of workplace mental health promotion for people with disabilities is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief mental health promotion intervention in social enterprises. It had a non-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial design with follow-up one and four months after the intervention. In total 196 employees agreed to participate (86 intervention and 110 control). Empowerment was the main outcome; secondary outcomes were resilience, palliative behavior, determinants of four coping strategies of mental health, quality of life, and life satisfaction. A brief participant satisfaction survey was conducted after the intervention. No significant intervention effect on empowerment was found. However, at one month follow-up, significant favorable effects were found on perceived social support for coping strategies for mental health and on palliative behavior. At four months follow-up, favorable intervention effects were found on quality of life, but unfavorable effects were found on unjustified worrying. In addition, the intervention was well received by the employees. This brief intervention might be a promising first step to improve mental health in people with disabilities working in social enterprises. Nevertheless, additional monitoring by professionals and managers working in the organizations might be needed to maintain these effects.

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