Reducing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Family Caregivers (Aim 1)

NCT ID: NCT04481568

Last Updated: 2022-12-23

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

158 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-02-03

Study Completion Date

2021-12-29

Brief Summary

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Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) account for 3.2 million hospital admissions per year and have over three times more hospitalizations than those without cognitive impairment, yet hospital caregivers (HCGs) are ill-prepared to manage patients with ADRD with less than 5% reporting mandatory dementia care training. Three-quarters of hospitalized persons with ADRD display Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) associated with functional and cognitive decline, increased resource consumption, institutionalization, premature death, and caregiver burden. The overall objective is to test the preliminary efficacy of an innovative model of care, PES-4-BPSD, for reducing BPSD by empowering Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) to deliver dementia care for acutely-ill patients with ADRD. Traditionally, mental health assistants with training in crisis-prevention techniques provide care to psychiatric patients. On the intervention unit, these mental health assistants, as PES, purposefully engage patients with BPSD. In the pilot study, investigators found patients with cognitive impairment admitted to the PES unit were significantly less likely to require constant observation, chemical and physical restraints, suggesting improved management of BPSD. The central hypothesis is that PES-4-BPSD will improve the ability of PES to create an "enabling" milieu that addresses factors leading to BPSD and improves the experience of hospital caregivers. Guided by a social-ecological framework, PES-4-BPSD incorporates dementia education and training, environmental modifications-cohorting, increased staffing-PES, and staff support. The investigators' multidisciplinary research team is well-positioned to accomplish the following: Aim 1) Determine the preliminary efficacy of PES-4-BPSD for reducing BPSD during hospitalization, and Aim 2) Evaluate whether dementia care training improves the perceived ability of PES staff (intervention) and nurse assistant staff (control) to care for hospitalized persons with ADRD. For Aim 1, investigators will conduct a non-randomized preliminary efficacy trial of the PES-4-BPSD intervention enrolling N=158 patients (79 control, 79 intervention). The primary outcome will be presence of BPSD during hospitalization using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). In Aim 2, investigators will use survey methodology in a repeated measures design to evaluate within and between-group differences in attitudes, experience, and satisfaction toward managing patients with ADRD. Measures will be completed at baseline (T1), immediately following training (T2), and at the end of the intervention period (T3). This proposal will be the first to study an innovative model of care utilizing PES as specialized hospital caregivers for reducing BPSD in the hospital setting. The investigators' findings will lay the essential groundwork for a multi-site trial of PES-4-BPSD and inform the development of a program that can be easily implemented in other hospitals.

Detailed Description

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Prior to patient recruitment, a 3 month dementia training program will be implemented on both the intervention and control units. On the intervention unit, training will target the Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) and on the control to the nurse assistants (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on this aim). Following the implementation of the dementia care training, eligible patients will be offered the opportunity to participate in the study. A research coordinator will offer the information and opportunity to participate to the patient's lawful caregiver. The signed consent forms will be stored in secured file cabinets. Once a participant has been enrolled in the study, demographic information will be obtained from the electronic medical records (EMR) and verified by Family Caregiver (FCG), including: age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, work status, current living situation, medical comorbidities, and reason for admission. A member of the research team will conduct a short interview with the FCG to verify patient background information and obtain baseline (1 month prior to admission) functional status (Barthel Index), dementia severity cognitive (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale)(5 stages of severity: no 0, questionable 0.5, mild 1, moderate 2, and severe 3), and behavioral symptoms using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinical version NPI-C.

A member of the research team will then complete daily NPI-Qs to determine the number of behaviors and symptoms for each patient on a daily basis. The data collector will use a multimodal approach drawing from electronic medical record (EMR) notes and interviews with nursing staff regarding the patient's behavior and treatment over the past 24 hours. Delirium will be assessed daily by the research coordinator using same multimodal approach and during the time of NPI observation. A final EMR chart review will be conducted collecting information such as length of stay, discharge disposition, in-hospital mortality as well as total usage practices for management of BPSD: use of special observation (1:1 or enhanced), restraints, psychoactive medications, psychiatric evaluation. Within 48 hours of discharge, family caregivers will be interviewed regarding satisfaction with care using the Carer Questionnaire Data from the National Audit of Dementia Round 3.

Conditions

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Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

Keywords

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Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Hospitalization

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Nonrandom preliminary efficacy trial comparing 2 groups, intervention and control
Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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The PES-4-BPSD Model

The intervention arm consists of PES and nurse assistants who work on the intervention unit which consists of: I. Cohorting of patients with cognitive impairment AND past or present indication of BPSD, acutely admitted to the medicine or telemetry service, are cohorted on a 10-bed medical unit. II. PES staff: mental health assistants with high school level education, who receive training in de-escalation and crisis prevention techniques and provide direct personal care to psychiatric patients. On the intervention unit, these PES purposefully engage patients with BPSD. III. Staff Support: The PI will hold monthly 20 minute group sessions to reinforce training and discuss challenging patient behaviors; meant to improve the attitude and empathy of HCGs towards patients. IV. Staff Training (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on staff support and training).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

PES-4-BPSD Model

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

We will conduct a non-randomized preliminary efficacy trial, enrolling N=158 patients (79 control and 79 intervention). The primary outcome will be presence of BPSD as measured by a patient's total score on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) during hospitalization. A multi-modal approach (including chart review and HCG questionnaires) will be used to determine the presence and severity of BPSD.

The attention control condition

The attention control condition will consist of a 40-bed medicine unit, staffed with 39 nurses (1:6 ratio) and 26 nursing assistants (1:8 ratio), that primarily cohorts older patients with geriatric syndromes.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

The attention control condition

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

On this unit, the management of patients who display BPSD is performed by nurse assistants, rather than PES. Therefore, in order to test the added layer of PES staff, the nurse assistants on the control unit will receive equivalent dementia care education and training as well as staff support (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on this aim).

Interventions

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PES-4-BPSD Model

We will conduct a non-randomized preliminary efficacy trial, enrolling N=158 patients (79 control and 79 intervention). The primary outcome will be presence of BPSD as measured by a patient's total score on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) during hospitalization. A multi-modal approach (including chart review and HCG questionnaires) will be used to determine the presence and severity of BPSD.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The attention control condition

On this unit, the management of patients who display BPSD is performed by nurse assistants, rather than PES. Therefore, in order to test the added layer of PES staff, the nurse assistants on the control unit will receive equivalent dementia care education and training as well as staff support (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on this aim).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients who have an acute medical admission to either the control unit (Geriatric Care Model) or intervention unit (PES-4-BPSD).
* Patients age 65 and above
* Documentation of dementia in the medical record (based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision codes \[ICD-9 and ICD-10\])
* AD8 score of 2 or greater (obtained from the family caregiver \[FCG\])

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients who are known to be terminally ill and/or receiving hospice or surgery
* Patients with a length of stay of less than 48 hours.
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Penn State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Northwell Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Liron Sinvani, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Northwell Health

Locations

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Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Glen Oaks, New York, United States

Site Status

North Shore University Hospital

Manhasset, New York, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Sampson EL, White N, Leurent B, Scott S, Lord K, Round J, Jones L. Behavioural and psychiatric symptoms in people with dementia admitted to the acute hospital: prospective cohort study. Br J Psychiatry. 2014 Sep;205(3):189-96. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.130948. Epub 2014 Jul 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25061120 (View on PubMed)

Hessler JB, Schaufele M, Hendlmeier I, Junge MN, Leonhardt S, Weber J, Bickel H. Behavioural and psychological symptoms in general hospital patients with dementia, distress for nursing staff and complications in care: results of the General Hospital Study. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2018 Jun;27(3):278-287. doi: 10.1017/S2045796016001098. Epub 2017 Jan 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28065176 (View on PubMed)

Astrom S, Nilsson M, Norberg A, Sandman PO, Winblad B. Staff burnout in dementia care--relations to empathy and attitudes. Int J Nurs Stud. 1991;28(1):65-75. doi: 10.1016/0020-7489(91)90051-4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1856035 (View on PubMed)

Dewing J, Dijk S. What is the current state of care for older people with dementia in general hospitals? A literature review. Dementia (London). 2016 Jan;15(1):106-24. doi: 10.1177/1471301213520172. Epub 2014 Jan 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24459188 (View on PubMed)

Lintern TC. Quality in dementia care: evaluating staff attitudes and behaviour. [PhD Thesis]. Prifysgol Bangor University; 2001

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Scerri A, Innes A, Scerri C. Dementia training programmes for staff working in general hospital settings - a systematic review of the literature. Aging Ment Health. 2017 Aug;21(8):783-796. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2016.1231170. Epub 2016 Sep 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27662075 (View on PubMed)

Sinvani L, Warner-Cohen J, Strunk A, Halbert T, Harisingani R, Mulvany C, Qiu M, Kozikowski A, Patel V, Liberman T, Carney M, Pekmezaris R, Wolf-Klein G, Karlin-Zysman C. A Multicomponent Model to Improve Hospital Care of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Sep;66(9):1700-1707. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15452. Epub 2018 Aug 11.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 30098015 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Related Links

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https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04179721

Please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on Aim 2: Hospital Caregivers

Other Identifiers

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1R21NR018500-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

19-0800-FIMR-1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id