This study evaluates the effect of using comprehensive geriatric assessment in combination with case conferences on the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (also known as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia) in Norwegian nursing homes
Long-term care patients in nursing homes (NH) are characterized by frailty and having multiple health problems and reduced quality of life. Some of these issues relates to the quality of care and do therefore possess a potential for improvement. There is a need for approaches enabling nurses to carry out effective interventions that can promote health related to sustain or improve the nursing home patients health status. Integrating a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and case conferencing (CC) might be an effective method to individualize care plans in order to improve quality of care. The intervention nursing homes will implement CGA, using the International resident instrument suite for Long Term Care Facilities (InterRai LTCF) and CC. The patients will be included and assessed three times during a 12-month period (control and intervention NHs). In the intervention NHs the results from the CGA will be reviewed in monthly CCs. The CCs are structured and consist of four main steps; evaluating the effects of earlier interventions, defining patients risks or area for improvement, defining the aetiology of the risk or problem, defining interventions and measures for improvement along with an appropriate method for evaluation. The CC group's consensus is basis for the patient's care plan.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
309
Intervention nursing homes carries out regularly case conferencing based on comprehensive geriatric assessments. Case conferencing is carried out each month for nursing home patients included in the study
Overhalla sykeheim
Overhalla, Norway
Prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms measured by neuropsychiatric inventory
Measured by neuropsychiatric inventory
Time frame: 12 months
Depression measured by Cornell scale for depression in dementia
Measured by Cornell scale for depression in dementia
Time frame: 12 months
Activities in daily living measured by Physical self-maintenance scale
Measured by Physical self-maintenance scale
Time frame: 12 months
Quality of life measured by the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia Scale
Measured by the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia Scale
Time frame: 12 months
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