A Geriatric Mobile Team for Nursing Home Residents: a Feasibility Pilot Study

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Nursing Home Resident; Geriatric Assessment

• Registration Number: NCT06873919
• Lead Sponsor: Université Catholique de Louvain

Brief Summary

Nursing home (NH) residents have complex healthcare needs. Barriers to collaboration hinder the delivery of high-quality care in nursing homes. To bridge the gap between hospital-based and NH-based care, various innovative approaches have been proposed, including geriatric mobile teams. In Belgium, geriatric expertise has long been confined to hospital settings. Until recently, no specific organization existed for outpatient geriatric assessment, particularly for NH residents. In April 2024, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI) introduced a new reimbursement code for geriatric consultations in NHs, promoting the development of extramural geriatric activities. However, evidence on the effectiveness of mobile geriatric teams remains limited, particularly regarding hospitalization prevention.

The geriatrics department of CHU UCL Namur is implementing a one-year pilot project involving a mobile team composed of a geriatrician and a nurse to conduct geriatric assessments in the three nursing homes. This non-randomized pilot project aims to establish a new standard of care for residents selected by their general practitioner, leveraging the new reimbursement code. The project is accompanied by a clinical study assessing the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of this intervention. Prospectively collected data will also help define key indicators for a future large-scale study focused on cost-effectiveness.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-03
• Study Start: 2025-03-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-10
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-13
• Primary Completion: 2026-02-28
• Study Completion: 2026-02-28

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients aged over 70 years

• Presenting with one or more of the following conditions:

  • Difficulties in establishing an advance care planning
  • Medical complexity (multiple specialists, repeated hospitalizations)
  • Polypharmacy
  • Recurrent falls
  • Unmanageable behavioral disorders
  • Weight loss
  • Memory impairment

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with an unstable medical condition requiring urgent care
• Patients under 70 years old
• Patients whose condition requires examinations or treatments available only in a hospital setting

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Feasability	Immediately after the initial consultation, with follow-up assessments at 3, 6, 9, and up to 12 months post-inclusion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Acceptability	Immediately after the initial consultation, with follow-up assessments at 3, 6, 9, and up to 12 months post-inclusion
Determine the outcomes for a future full evaluation study.	Immediately after the initial consultation, with follow-up assessments at 3, 6, 9, and up to 12 months post-inclusion

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

CHU UCL Namur; 🇧🇪 Yvoir, Belgium