Aging, Function, Hospitalization
Conditions
Keywords
older adults, early supported discharge, cohort study, hospitalised, patient discharge
Brief summary
The MidWest multidisciplinary Community Intervention Teams (MD-CIT) comprise of specialist, healthcare teams that provide a rapid and integrated response to a patient with an acute episode of illness who requires enhanced services/acute intervention for a defined short period of time in the MidWest of Ireland. This is provided in the patient's home, thereby facilitating early discharge from the acute hospital setting. The investigators are performing an evaluation of the MDCIT service provided to older adults admitted to UL Hospitals Group. The investigators will assess patients in hospital, at 30 days and at a six months.
Interventions
OTHERMDCIT Intervention
The MidWest Multidisciplinary Community Intervention Teams (MDCIT) comprise of specialist, healthcare teams that provide a rapid and integrated response to a patient with an acute episode of illness who requires enhanced services/acute intervention for a defined short period of time. This is provided in the patient's home after an acute hospital admission, thereby facilitating early discharge. The MDCIT intervention is composed of occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and healthcare assistants, with nursing support as required. The MDCIT therapists aim to make their first visit to patients within 24-48 hours of hospital discharge. Patients receive two-three visits per week, over a period of two to four weeks dependant on the patient's rehabilitation needs. Upon discharge from the MDCIT service, patients can be referred to community services as indicated by therapists.
Sponsors
University of Limerick
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Older adults ≥ 65 years who are discharged home (community dwelling) from ULHG with a referral to the MDCIT service between December 2022 and June 2023 will be deemed eligible for recruitment
Exclusion criteria
* Those aged \< 65 years discharged home from ULHG and referred to the MDCIT service * Those deemed to not have decision making capacity to provide informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional Ability | This will be measured at baseline. | Function will be measured using the Barthel Index (BI). The BI scores a patient from 0-20, with a higher score indicating greater independence. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Quality of Life | This will be measured at baseline. | Quality of Life will be measured using the EQ-5D-5L. This questionnaire asks a patient to rate their overall perceived health from a scale of 0-100 (0 = very poor; 100 = excellent). |
| Quality of Care | This will be measured at 30 days. | Quality of Care will be measured using the Patient Assessment of Integrated Elderly Care. Patients are asked 20 questions across a Likert scale from 'none at all' to 'always.' |
| Unscheduled ED Attendance(s) | This will be measured at 30 days. | ED hospital databases will be searched to identify ED attendances. |
| Frailty Score | This will be measured at baseline. | Frailty will be measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). The CFS screens for frailty in older adults, with a minimum score of 1 considered least frail and a maximum score of 9 indicating severe frailty. |
| Nursing Home Admission(s) | This will be measured at 30 days. | Hospital software will be searched to identify patients admitted to nursing homes. |
| Mortality | This will be measured at 30 days. | Hospital software will be searched to identify patients who pass away. |
| Unscheduled Hospital Admission(s) | This will be measured at 30 days. | ED and hospital software will be searched to identify admissions. |
Countries
Ireland
Outcome results
None listed