Interprofessional Dementia Care

Overview

Currently, around 1.7 million people with dementia live in Germany. The number of new cases per year is estimated to be around 244,000. At this time, no curative treatment for dementia exists. The progression of the disease results in high needs for care. Only a minority among People with Dementia (PwD) receive needs-based treatment and directive-compliant care. Previous studies found that more than 95% of PwD have an open need for care. The increase in chronically and multimorbid impaired patients leads to an increased number of patients in primary care. Particularly in rural regions, innovative care concepts based on a redistribution of tasks between specialized nurses and doctors could help to guarantee high-value care at all times. Nursing care can be expanded with regards to tasks and competencies, which is thought to increase the attractiveness of the nursing profession. Unfortunately, there are currently no scientific studies on the effectiveness and impact of such care concepts in Germany. The Aim of this study is to implement a structured care concept for the reallocation of tasks between general practitioners (GPs) and nurses and to evaluate its effectiveness on the living and care situation of people with dementia living at home. "InDePendent" is a multicenter, cluster-randomized, controlled intervention study with a waiting-control group. Randomization is carried out at the level of the participating GPs in a ratio of 1:2 (intervention group : waiting-control group).

Previous studies found that PwD treated by primary care physicians on average have 8.8 (± 5.04; range = 0-31) unmet care needs, mainly related to nursing care (38%) and drug therapy (15%). PwD had additional needs for daily activities, social participation and showed a high level of psychological stress. The number of unmet care needs is more dependent on the physical limitations than on the cognitive impairments. The progression of dementia is therefore associated with an increase in open and unmet care needs and a reduced opportunity to recognize these needs in the primary care setting and to address them appropriately. At this time, no curative treatment for dementia exists. Thus, innovative models of high-value care have to be found in order to enable PwD to live an independent, self-determined life with a high quality of life for as long as possible. The increasing burden of disease associated with an increase in prevalence of dementia is associated with high health expenditures, which puts additional pressure on health care systems. From a health economical perspective the minimization of supply deficits and open needs of care are crucial aspects to avoid or delay a cost-intensive transfer to an inpatient facility. The overall goal of the InDePendent project is to improve the living and care situation of PwD and their relatives at home. Following this aim, an innovative redistribution of tasks between general practitioners and specialized nurses for dementia patients will be implemented and evaluated. In addition, the specialized nurses will be trained for cross-sector as well as cross-professional dementia care management (DCM), by acquisition of specific competencies to carry out medical tasks in delegation and substitution. Collaborating Dementia Networks and GP clinics will serve as the units of randomization and determine the patients' group status (control or intervention group). The GPs will systematically screen the patients for eligibility to participate in the study during routine care (eligibility criteria for screening: age ≥70 years, living at home). Patients will be screened using the validated DemTect questionnaire (eligibility for study participation: \<9 points). In case of a positive screening or an existing dementia diagnosis, potential participants will receive detailed information about the study including a study-information sheet from their GP, be invited to participate and asked to provide written informed consent.