Improved Prescribing for Older Nursing Home Patients

Launched by AMSTERDAM UMC, LOCATION VUMC · Dec 9, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Improved Prescribing for Older Nursing Home Patients," is studying how training healthcare professionals can improve the medication management of nursing home residents who have a limited life expectancy of about 1.5 to 2 years. The goal is to ensure that the medications these residents receive align better with their comfort and treatment goals, especially focusing on easing symptoms rather than just preventing other health issues. The trial will involve about 450 nursing home patients aged 65 and older from six different care organizations over a period of approximately 15 months.

Eligible participants are those who have been living in a nursing home for at least four weeks and meet the age and life expectancy criteria. In the study, healthcare professionals will be trained in two main areas: assessing medications and planning ahead for end-of-life care. Some patients will receive this tailored approach, while others will continue with the usual care. Throughout the study, researchers will monitor how medication use changes and how involved patients feel in their treatment decisions. The hope is that this training will lead to less unnecessary medication and more focus on what truly matters to the residents, without causing any negative effects.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• Nursing home patients:
• • Age 65years and above
• • Living at long term care wards in nursing homes
• • Living at a long term care ward for at least 4 weeks before start of the study
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Temporary nursing home patients (i.e. geriatric rehabilitation or end-of-life/hospice care)
• • Life expectancy \< 4 weeks
• • Life expectancy clearly \> 1.5 - 2 years (i.e. patients with Huntingtons disease)