scholarly journals A Cluster-randomized Trial of a Complex Intervention to Encourage Deprescribing Antidepressants in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: a Study Protocol.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernille Hølmkjær ◽  
Anne Holm ◽  
Gritt Overbeck ◽  
Maarten Pieter Rozing
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Psychotropic Medication ◽  
Pharmacological Treatment ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Nursing Home Staff ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Secondary Outcomes ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Abstract Background: The effectiveness of psychotropic medication on behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) is limited, while associated with a higher risk of adverse events. Non-pharmacological treatment of BPSD is advocated as treatment of first choice. However, many general practitioners (GPs) find it difficult to initiate deprescribing and when attempting to discontinue psychotropic medication in nursing home residents, they face many barriers. Therefore, we hypothesize that an intervention aimed at improving communication with and involvement of nursing home staff, relatives, and patients by GPs can optimize the pharmacological treatment of BPSD. The aim is to reduce the use of antidepressants in nursing home residents with dementia without increasing morbidity or mortality. Objective: The primary outcome is reduction of antidepressant. Secondary outcomes include difference in use of other psychotropic medication, mortality, morbidity, and severity of BPSD. Method: The study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial based in general practices in Denmark. We aim to include 22 practices, each of which will recruit up to 15 patients with dementia living in nursing homes. The intervention period is three months, and the total study period is one year. Randomization is 1:1 to intervention and control group by computer algorithm. Both groups receive education on BPSD and its evidence-based treatment. The intervention includes three tailored components; 1) teaching material and training to be used by the GP to educate nursing home staff on BPSD, 2) a pre-visit reflection tool to encourage nursing home staff to evaluate symptoms and reflect on relatives involvement in the discontinuation process and 3) a dialogue tool to facilitate shared decision making on optimization of BPSD treatment during the visits at the nursing home. The control group includes enhanced care as usual. The primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at the end of the study period. An evaluation process will be conducted to assess the implementability. Discussion: We anticipate that the intervention will optimize the treatment of BPSD with antidepressants for nursing homes residents and enhance compliance with reduction of medication. The process evaluation should provide insights into the barriers and facilitators to changing the current practice of deprescribing.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04985305. Registered 30 July 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04985305

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 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 Improving Quality of Life in Nursing Homes: The Structured Resident Interview Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard B. Degenholtz ◽  
Abby L. Resnick ◽  
Natalie Bulger ◽  
Lichun Chia
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Improvement Programs

The quality of life (QOL) of the approximately 1.5 million nursing facility (NF) residents in the US is undoubtedly lower than desired by residents, families, providers, and policy makers. Although there have been important advances in defining and measuring QOL for this population, there is a need for interventions that are tied to standardized measurement and quality improvement programs. This paper describes the development and testing of a structured, tailored assessment and care planning process for improving the QOL of nursing home residents. The Quality of Life Structured Resident Interview and Care Plan (QOL.SRI/CP) builds on a decade of research on measuring QOL and is designed to be easily implemented in any US nursing home. The approach was developed through extensive and iterative pilot testing and then tested in a randomized controlled trial in three nursing homes. Residents were randomly assigned to receive the assessment alone or both the assessment and an individualized QOL care plan task. The results show that residents assigned to the intervention group experienced improved QOL at 90- and 180-day follow-up, while QOL of residents in the control group was unchanged.

Can leisure activities slow dementia progression in nursing home residents? A cluster-randomized controlled trial

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheung-Tak Cheng ◽  
Pizza K. Chow ◽  
You-Qiang Song ◽  
Edwin C. S. Yu ◽  
John H. M. Lam
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Global Functioning ◽  
Gradual Improvement ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Functional Components

ABSTRACTBackground:To examine the effects of complex cognitive (mahjong) and physical (Tai Chi) activities on dementia severity in nursing home residents with dementia.Methods:Cluster-randomized open-label controlled design. 110 residents were randomized by nursing home into three conditions: mahjong, Tai Chi, and simple handicrafts (control). Activities were conducted three times a week for 12 weeks. Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) was taken at 0 (baseline), 3 (post-treatment), 6, and 9 months. The outcome measure was CDR sum-of-box, which is a composite measure of both cognitive and functional deterioration in dementia.Results:Intent-to-treat analyses were performed using multilevel regression models. Apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and education were included as covariates. Neither treatments had effects on the cognitive and functional components of the CDR, but mahjong had a significant interaction with time on the CDR sum-of-box total, suggesting a slower rate of global deterioration in the mahjong group as compared with the control group.Conclusions:Mahjong led to a gradual improvement in global functioning and a slightly slower rate of dementia progression over time. The effect was generalized and was not specific to cognition or daily functioning.

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 Advance care planning in nursing homes: new conversation and documentation tools

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2021-003008
Author(s):  
Annelien Wendrich-van Dael ◽  
Joni Gilissen ◽  
Liesbeth Van Humbeeck ◽  
Luc Deliens ◽  
Robert Vander Stichele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Nursing Home Staff ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
Context Specific

Although advance care planning (ACP) is highly relevant for nursing home residents, its uptake in nursing homes is low. To meet the need for context-specific ACP tools to support nursing home staff in conducting ACP conversations, we developed the ACP+intervention. At its core, we designed three ACP tools to aid care staff in discussing and documenting nursing home resident’s wishes and preferences for future treatment and care: (1) an extensive ACP conversation guide, (2) a one-page conversation tool and (3) an ACP document to record outcomes of conversations. These nursing home-specific ACP tools aim to avoid a purely document-driven or ‘tick-box’ approach to the ACP process and to involve residents, including those living with dementia according to their capacity, their families and healthcare professionals.

scholarly journals Associations of BNT162b2 vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospital admission and death with covid-19 in nursing homes and healthcare workers in Catalonia: prospective cohort study

BMJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. n1868
Author(s):  
Carmen Cabezas ◽  
Ermengol Coma ◽  
Nuria Mora-Fernandez ◽  
Xintong Li ◽  
Montse Martinez-Marcos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Nursing Home Staff ◽  
Hazard Ratios

Abstract Objective To determine associations of BNT162b2 vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospital admission and death with covid-19 among nursing home residents, nursing home staff, and healthcare workers. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nursing homes and linked electronic medical record, test, and mortality data in Catalonia on 27 December 2020. Participants 28 456 nursing home residents, 26 170 nursing home staff, and 61 791 healthcare workers. Main outcome measures Participants were followed until the earliest outcome (confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospital admission or death with covid-19) or 26 May 2021. Vaccination status was introduced as a time varying exposure, with a 14 day run-in after the first dose. Mixed effects Cox models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios with index month as a fixed effect and adjusted for confounders including sociodemographics, comorbidity, and previous medicine use. Results Among the nursing home residents, SARS-CoV-2 infection was found in 2482, 411 were admitted to hospital with covid-19, and 450 died with covid-19 during the study period. In parallel, 1828 nursing home staff and 2968 healthcare workers were found to have SARS-CoV-2 infection, but fewer than five were admitted or died with covid-19. The adjusted hazard ratio for SARS-CoV-2 infection after two doses of vaccine was 0.09 (95% confidence interval 0.08 to 0.11) for nursing home residents, 0.20 (0.17 to 0.24) for nursing home staff, and 0.13 (0.11 to 0.16) for healthcare workers. Adjusted hazard ratios for hospital admission and mortality after two doses of vaccine were 0.05 (0.04 to 0.07) and 0.03 (0.02 to 0.04), respectively, for nursing home residents. Nursing home staff and healthcare workers recorded insufficient events for mortality analysis. Conclusions Vaccination was associated with 80-91% reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection in all three cohorts and greater reductions in hospital admissions and mortality among nursing home residents for up to five months. More data are needed on longer term effects of covid-19 vaccines.

Diagnosing and Treating Depressions in Nursing Home Residents: Challenges for GPs

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Koritsas ◽  
Sandra Davidson ◽  
David Clarke ◽  
Daniel O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Nursing Home Staff

Depression is more common in elderly people residing in nursing homes than it is in people of the same age residing in the community. In Australia, general practitioners (GPs) are the primary providers of medical services to the elderly in nursing homes; however, they often under-diagnose and/or inadequately treat depression in this population. The difficulties experienced by GPs are confounded by the breakdown in the continuity of care that is evident when a patient is admitted into a nursing home, by inadequate communication between GPs and nursing home staff, and systems within the nursing home that are not conducive to general practice. This paper discusses the challenges GPs face in diagnosing and treating depression in nursing home residents, and provides suggestions for strategies that may overcome these challenges.

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