Reducing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Family Caregivers (Aim 1)

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

Interventions: Behavioral: The attention control condition
Behavioral: PES-4-BPSD Model

Registration Number: NCT04481568

Lead Sponsor: Northwell Health

Brief Summary: Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) account for 3.2 million hospital admissions per year and have over three times more hospitalizations than those without cognitive impairment, yet hospital caregivers (HCGs) are ill-prepared to manage patients with ADRD with less than 5% reporting mandatory dementia care training. Three-quarters of hospitalized persons with ADRD display Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) associated with functional and cognitive decline, increased resource consumption, institutionalization, premature death, and caregiver burden. The overall objective is to test the preliminary efficacy of an innovative model of care, PES-4-BPSD, for reducing BPSD by empowering Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) to deliver dementia care for acutely-ill patients with ADRD. Traditionally, mental health assistants with training in crisis-prevention techniques provide care to psychiatric patients. On the intervention unit, these mental health assistants, as PES, purposefully engage patients with BPSD. In the pilot study, investigators found patients with cognitive impairment admitted to the PES unit were significantly less likely to require constant observation, chemical and physical restraints, suggesting improved management of BPSD. The central hypothesis is that PES-4-BPSD will improve the ability of PES to create an "enabling" milieu that addresses factors leading to BPSD and improves the experience of hospital caregivers. Guided by a social-ecological framework, PES-4-BPSD incorporates dementia education and training, environmental modifications-cohorting, increased staffing-PES, and staff support. The investigators' multidisciplinary research team is well-positioned to accomplish the following: Aim 1) Determine the preliminary efficacy of PES-4-BPSD for reducing BPSD during hospitalization, and Aim 2) Evaluate whether dementia care training improves the perceived ability of PES staff (intervention) and nurse assistant staff (control) to care for hospitalized persons with ADRD. For Aim 1, investigators will conduct a non-randomized preliminary efficacy trial of the PES-4-BPSD intervention enrolling N=158 patients (79 control, 79 intervention). The primary outcome will be presence of BPSD during hospitalization using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). In Aim 2, investigators will use survey methodology in a repeated measures design to evaluate within and between-group differences in attitudes, experience, and satisfaction toward managing patients with ADRD. Measures will be completed at baseline (T1), immediately following training (T2), and at the end of the intervention period (T3). This proposal will be the first to study an innovative model of care utilizing PES as specialized hospital caregivers for reducing BPSD in the hospital setting. The investigators' findings will lay the essential groundwork for a multi-site trial of PES-4-BPSD and inform the development of a program that can be easily implemented in other hospitals.

Detailed Description: Prior to patient recruitment, a 3 month dementia training program will be implemented on both the intervention and control units. On the intervention unit, training will target the Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) and on the control to the nurse assistants (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on this aim). Following the implementation of the dementia care training, eligible patients will be offered the opportunity to participate in the study. A research coordinator will offer the information and opportunity to participate to the patient's lawful caregiver. The signed consent forms will be stored in secured file cabinets. Once a participant has been enrolled in the study, demographic information will be obtained from the electronic medical records (EMR) and verified by Family Caregiver (FCG), including: age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, work status, current living situation, medical comorbidities, and reason for admission. A member of the research team will conduct a short interview with the FCG to verify patient background information and obtain baseline (1 month prior to admission) functional status (Barthel Index), dementia severity cognitive (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale)(5 stages of severity: no 0, questionable 0.5, mild 1, moderate 2, and severe 3), and behavioral symptoms using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinical version NPI-C.

A member of the research team will then complete daily NPI-Qs to determine the number of behaviors and symptoms for each patient on a daily basis. The data collector will use a multimodal approach drawing from electronic medical record (EMR) notes and interviews with nursing staff regarding the patient's behavior and treatment over the past 24 hours. Delirium will be assessed daily by the research coordinator using same multimodal approach and during the time of NPI observation. A final EMR chart review will be conducted collecting information such as length of stay, discharge disposition, in-hospital mortality as well as total usage practices for management of BPSD: use of special observation (1:1 or enhanced), restraints, psychoactive medications, psychiatric evaluation. Within 48 hours of discharge, family caregivers will be interviewed regarding satisfaction with care using the Carer Questionnaire Data from the National Audit of Dementia Round 3.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 158

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Patients who are known to be terminally ill and/or receiving hospice or surgery
Patients with a length of stay of less than 48 hours.

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
The attention control condition	The attention control condition	The attention control condition will consist of a 40-bed medicine unit, staffed with 39 nurses (1:6 ratio) and 26 nursing assistants (1:8 ratio), that primarily cohorts older patients with geriatric syndromes.
The PES-4-BPSD Model	PES-4-BPSD Model	The intervention arm consists of PES and nurse assistants who work on the intervention unit which consists of: I. Cohorting of patients with cognitive impairment AND past or present indication of BPSD, acutely admitted to the medicine or telemetry service, are cohorted on a 10-bed medical unit. II. PES staff: mental health assistants with high school level education, who receive training in de-escalation and crisis prevention techniques and provide direct personal care to psychiatric patients. On the intervention unit, these PES purposefully engage patients with BPSD. III. Staff Support: The PI will hold monthly 20 minute group sessions to reinforce training and discuss challenging patient behaviors; meant to improve the attitude and empathy of HCGs towards patients. IV. Staff Training (please refer to NCT# 04179721 for more details on staff support and training).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire Average Score During Hospital Admission	Participant length of stay varies, median of 7 days; will be assessed for 1 year duration of study	The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) is a validated tool with 12 behavioral domains for the assessment of neuropsychiatric symptomology designed for completion by caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. The tool asks the interviewee to rate each symptom, if present, as mild, moderate, or severe. Total scores range from 0-36 with higher scores indicating greater prominence of dementia symptoms. A Research Coordinator (RC) will utilize a multimodal approach, consisting of daily NPI-Q interviews with Hospital Caregivers and daily reviews of the patient's medical record, to provide a daily assessment of the 12 NPI-Q domains during hospitalization. Upon discharge, the average of each patient's daily NPI-Q total scores will be calculated, and this average will serve as the primary outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Family Caregiver (FCG) Satisfaction	Collected within 48 hours of hospital discharge for the 1-year study duration	FCGs will be interviewed by research coordinator with a one-time telephone survey within 48 hours of discharge using the UK National Audit of Dementia Round 3, Caregiver Questionnaire. The survey consists of 10 items assessing perceptions of hospital quality of care provided by hospital staff. Responses of "Excellent" to the primary question assessed, "overall, how would you rate the care received by your loved one during their hospital stay?" is reported.
Practices for the Management of BPSD	Outcomes vary by participant; will be assessed through duration of study for 1 year	Collected via chart review. Practices include orders placed for special observation (1:1 or enhanced), restraints, psychoactive medications, psychiatric evaluation, as well as adverse events (falls). Orders for constant observation are reported below.
Length of Stay	Participant length of stay varies, median of 7 days; will be assessed for 1 year duration of study	Collected via chart review.

Trial Locations

Locations (2): North Shore University Hospital
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Manhasset, New York, United States
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
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Glen Oaks, New York, United States