A Partnered Evaluation to Improve the Identification and Management of Functional Impairment and Frailty Among Older Veterans in Primary Care Settings

NCT ID: NCT06404970

Last Updated: 2025-07-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

10000 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-04-01

Study Completion Date

2026-12-31

Brief Summary

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Maintaining functional status, or the ability to perform daily activities, is central to older adults' quality of life, health, and ability to remain independent. Identifying functional impairments is essential for clinicians to provide optimal care to older adults, and on a population level, understanding function can help anticipate service needs. Yet uptake of standardized measurement of functional status into patient care has been slow and inconsistent due to the burden posed by current tools. The purpose of the proposed QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative is to implement and evaluate a patient-centered, low-burden intervention to improve measurement of functional status in VA primary care settings nationally. The investigators hypothesize that implementing this intervention will increase identification and improve management of functional impairment among older Veterans while providing key data to inform VHA strategic planning related to long-term services and supports.

Detailed Description

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Background: Maintaining functional status, or the ability to perform daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and preparing meals, is central to older adults' quality of life, health, and ability to remain independent. Identifying functional impairments - defined as having difficulty or needing help performing these activities - is essential for clinicians to provide optimal care to older adults, and on a population level, understanding function can help anticipate service needs. Yet uptake of standardized measurement of functional status into routine patient care has been slow and inconsistent due to the burden posed by current tools. The purpose of the proposed QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative is to implement and evaluate the Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) Functional Status Screening Initiative (hereafter "PACT Function Initiative"), a patient-centered, low-burden intervention to improve measurement of functional status in VA primary care settings nationally.

Significance/Impact: Implementing routine measurement of functional status in primary care has the potential to improve identification and management of functional impairment for older Veterans. Improved management includes increasing access to services and supports, reducing potentially preventable acute care utilization, and allowing Veterans to live in the least restrictive setting for as long as possible. The proposed QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative is directly aligned with national VA strategic priorities including VA's Aging in Place and Aging and Frail Veterans initiatives (Objective 2.2) and developing Data as a Strategic Asset (Objective 4.2) to inform evidence-based decisions.

Innovation: The PACT Function Initiative is novel because it addresses prior barriers to functional status measurement. It incorporates Veteran and caregiver preferences while minimizing burden for primary care teams and maximizing clinical effectiveness. Implementing this intervention will provide functional status data that is directly actionable for patient care while creating a repository of data to inform VA strategic planning.

Specific Aims: (1) Measure clinician- and organization-level reach, adoption, implementation, and sustainment of the PACT Function Initiative; (2) Compare the effectiveness of a standard versus enhanced implementation bundle to improve adoption; (3) Measure patient-level clinical effectiveness of the intervention; and (4) To inform future GEC initiatives, test the effectiveness of EHR-based frailty screening for identifying Veterans at risk for functional impairment. The investigators hypothesize that implementing the PACT Function Initiative will result in increased identification and improved management of functional impairment among older Veterans while providing key data to inform VHA strategic planning related to long-term services and supports.

Methodology: In partnership with GEC and Primary Care, the investigators will implement and evaluate the PACT Function Initiative using a hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness cluster-randomized adaptive trial design with three phases: pre-implementation, implementation, and sustainment. The investigators will use the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) to guide implementation and evaluation. During pre-implementation, the investigators will engage stakeholders and develop local adaptations to maximize intervention-setting fit. During implementation, the investigators will launch a standard bundle of implementation strategies (champions, system-level audit and feedback), identify sites with low uptake, and randomize those sites to receive continued standard vs. enhanced strategies (technical assistance, clinician-level audit and feedback).

Next Steps/Implementation: Establishing routine, standardized measurement of functional status and frailty among older Veterans will provide data to inform the delivery of proactive interventions to prevent and delay the development of functional impairment and improve quality of life, health, and independence.

Conditions

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Functional Impairment Frailty

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness cluster-randomized adaptive trial
Primary Study Purpose

SCREENING

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Functional status screening initiative plus standard bundle of implementation strategies

During an initial 3 month run-in period, the investigators will implement the intervention at all sites using the standard implementation strategy bundle (implementation champions, system-level audit and feedback). After run-in, the investigators will identify sites with inadequate Reach, defined as \<80% of eligible Veterans receiving screening and/or assessment. Sites with \>80% Reach at the end of run-in will receive standard implementation for all phases of implementation. For sites with \<80% Reach, the investigators will randomize 1:1 by medical center to 3 additional months of a standard vs. enhanced implementation bundle. The enhanced implementation bundle will include technical assistance plus clinician-level audit and feedback. After 3 months' implementation, the investigators will then perform 3 months of crossover allocation. After crossover allocation, both arms will receive 3 months of standard implementation.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Screening intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

Intervention to improve identification and management of functional impairment among older Veterans in VA primary care settings. Intervention includes 5 components: (1) routine, standardized functional status measurement; (2) nursing screening followed by follow-up primary care provider assessment; (3) electronic tools and templates to facilitate screening, assessment, and documentation; (4) interprofessional educational session; (5) tailored reports on functional status

Standard bundle of implementation strategies

Intervention Type OTHER

Standard strategies include champions plus system-level audit and feedback

Functional status screening initiative plus enhanced bundle of implementation strategies

During an initial 3 month run-in period, the investigators will implement the intervention at all sites using the standard implementation strategy bundle (implementation champions, system-level audit and feedback). After run-in, the investigators will identify sites with inadequate Reach, defined as \<80% of eligible Veterans receiving screening and/or assessment. Sites with \>80% Reach at the end of run-in will receive standard implementation for all phases of implementation. For sites with \<80% Reach, the investigators will randomize 1:1 by medical center to 3 additional months of a standard vs. enhanced implementation bundle. The enhanced implementation bundle will include technical assistance plus clinician-level audit and feedback. After 3 months' implementation, the investigators will then perform 3 months of crossover allocation. After crossover allocation, both arms will receive 3 months of standard implementation.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Screening intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

Intervention to improve identification and management of functional impairment among older Veterans in VA primary care settings. Intervention includes 5 components: (1) routine, standardized functional status measurement; (2) nursing screening followed by follow-up primary care provider assessment; (3) electronic tools and templates to facilitate screening, assessment, and documentation; (4) interprofessional educational session; (5) tailored reports on functional status

Enhanced bundle of implementation strategies

Intervention Type OTHER

Enhanced strategies include technical assistance plus clinician-level audit and feedback

Interventions

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Screening intervention

Intervention to improve identification and management of functional impairment among older Veterans in VA primary care settings. Intervention includes 5 components: (1) routine, standardized functional status measurement; (2) nursing screening followed by follow-up primary care provider assessment; (3) electronic tools and templates to facilitate screening, assessment, and documentation; (4) interprofessional educational session; (5) tailored reports on functional status

Intervention Type OTHER

Standard bundle of implementation strategies

Standard strategies include champions plus system-level audit and feedback

Intervention Type OTHER

Enhanced bundle of implementation strategies

Enhanced strategies include technical assistance plus clinician-level audit and feedback

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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PACT Functional Status Screening Initiative

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Veteran
* \>60 years old
* Seen in Veterans Health Administration primary care after implementation begins

Exclusion Criteria

* Non-Veteran
* \<60 years old
* Not seen in Veterans Health Administration primary care
Minimum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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VA Office of Research and Development

FED

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Rebecca T. Brown, MD MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Francesca M Nicosia, PhD MA

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

Locations

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Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Rebecca T Brown, MD MPH

Role: CONTACT

(215) 823-5800

Jason Prigge, BS MS

Role: CONTACT

(215) 823-5800 ext. 3883

Facility Contacts

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Tonia C Reynolds-Hendricks, BA MA

Role: primary

215-823-5800 ext. 206080

Johann Ochoa, MS

Role: backup

(215) 823-5821

References

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Nicosia FM, Zamora K, Ashcraft L, Krautner G, Groot M, Kinosian B, Schubert CC, Chhatre S, Moriarty H, Intrator O, Schwartz AW, Orkaby AR, Prigge J, Brown RT. Study protocol: type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of routine functional status screening in VA primary care. Implement Sci Commun. 2025 Jan 31;6(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s43058-025-00698-w.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39891277 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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PEC 23-072

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

PEX 24-001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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