A Clinical Decision Support Tool for Assessing the Ability to Decide on Returning Home in Elderly Patients with Cognitive Impairments

Launched by ASSISTANCE PUBLIQUE - HÔPITAUX DE PARIS · Oct 30, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is focused on helping elderly patients with cognitive impairments make important decisions about whether they can safely return home after being hospitalized. Currently, there isn’t a reliable tool to assess their ability to make such decisions, which is a common concern for doctors who specialize in caring for older adults. The goal of the study is to develop a decision support tool that helps doctors evaluate a patient’s decision-making capacity more accurately than just relying on their clinical judgment alone.

To participate in the trial, individuals must be 70 years or older, have some form of cognitive impairment (regardless of the specific diagnosis), and scored between 15 and 25 on a common cognitive screening test. They should also have been hospitalized in a geriatrics unit and normally live at home. Participants will be assessed using this new tool to see if it provides better insights into their ability to decide about returning home. It’s important to note that those with certain medical conditions or language barriers, or who have previously taken the assessment during another hospitalization, may not be eligible to join the study.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion criteria:
• • 70 years and over
• • neurocognitive disorders regardless of diagnosis
• • MMSE between 15 and 25
• • hospitalized in geriatrics
• • still living at home at the time of hospitalization
• • affiliated to or beneficiary of a social security scheme
• • Non-inclusion criteria
• • confusional episode,
• • palliative care,
• • presence of another significant or systemic pathology: Cerebral Vascular Accident \< 3 months, oncological pathology during treatment, decompensated psychiatric illness, acute organ failure,
• • total visual or hearing deficit,
• • has already taken the DROM test during a previous hospitalization,
• • language barrier,
• • refusal of participation by the patient, their relative or guardian if applicable
• • patient under judicial protection