Can use of sensor technology prevent hospitalisations in frail older people at high risk of hospital admissions? Background There has been significant developments, investment and ambition to use modern technology in admission avoidance in hospitals. Sensor technology has been one area of development. We used My Sense to improve outcomes for a cohort of High Intensity Users (HIU) frail older patients, and compared hospitalisation rates before and after employing Sensor technology. HIU patient consent criteria is 3 Admissions with 40 days Length of Stay. Introduction MySENSE 8 Sensors placed
Quality Improvement focussed on identification and management of delirium in older surgical patients
Background: This Quality Improvement project was undertaken at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. The team comprised a speciality doctor and improvement fellow previously employed as an operating department practitioner (ODP). Senior sponsors comprised a consultant geriatrician and Divisional Nurse Director. Introduction: Delirium impacts up to 40% of older hospital inpatients and is associated with mortality, institutionalisation and deconditioning. We aimed to increase diagnosis and management of delirium to reduce complications, length of stay and readmissions. Method: An initial
Introduction: The administration of melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists (MRA) may result in a small improvement in sleep quality among middle-aged and older adults living with neurocognitive disorders, but debate remains as to whether effects are clinically meaningful. The purpose of this PROSPERO-registered systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42022373972) was to synthesise evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of melatonin or MRA against placebo and other interventions for the treatment of sleep disturbances in adults with neurocognitive disorders. Method: CENTRAL
Introduction Older people are the fastest growing group of hospitalised trauma patients, most commonly due to falls from standing height. The Scottish Trauma Audit Group (STAG) collect extensive national data, but this does not currently include frailty and longer-term dependency. Method We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases in the STAG database for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh between September 2018 and February 2019. Casenote review was used to calculate baseline Charleston Comorbidity Index (CCI) and frailty status using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Outcomes of residence
Background: With advancing age comes the increasing prevalence of frailty and increased risk of adverse outcomes (e.g. hospitalisation). Internationally, models of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) delivery in primary care/community settings vary, and effectiveness is uncertain. CGA is a complex intervention and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of it first requires exploration of how individual components may work and how the intervention can be strengthened. Aims: To explore how to enhance current CGA, the conditions needed to implement enhanced CGA and the outcomes that
Improving the quality of teaching for junior Doctors within the Ageing and Complex Medicine Department; introducing a novel teaching and training programme. Introduction Feedback from the National Training Survey (NTS) in 2018 showed suboptimal satisfaction levels within our department, particularly for local teaching and clinical supervision. A novel dedicated teaching and training programme was designed and implemented. National and local feedback from trainees highlights significant improvement in satisfaction levels across all domains. Method The new programme includes scheduled weekly
Introduction Our perioperative service for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) commenced preoperative assessment of co-morbid and frail patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery in 2021. As part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and shared-decision-making process (SDM), we wanted to analyse the decisions our patients made around surgery and how many regretted having surgery. Methods Review of all orthopaedic patients seen by POPS between September 2021-December 2022 Intervention CGA and SDM on all patients Data collected: comorbidities, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), SDM
Introduction Sarcopenia is common in patients with hip fracture, but few studies have examined whether assessment of sarcopenia improves prediction of adverse post-operative outcomes. We examined whether sarcopenia, diagnosed using handgrip strength (HGS), could predict outcomes after hip fracture. Methods Routinely collected data from the National Hip Fracture Database were combined with locally collected HGS data from a high-volume orthopaedic trauma unit. Patients aged ≥65years with surgically managed, non-pathological hip fracture with grip strength measured on admission were included. The
Introduction Teaching and Research in Care Homes (ToRCH) is a living labs partnership between University of Nottingham and three nursing homes in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. We aim to engage care home teams in research, including knowledge exchange and co-designing research proposals. Methods We conducted 7 workshops / focus groups with 10 staff members. These were supplemented by site visits, where the researcher observed staff meetings and met with residents and relatives (for patient and public involvement). We elicited discussion by appreciative inquiry method and recorded findings
Introduction Sustaining independence is important for older people, but there is insufficient guidance about which community services to implement. Methods Systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA; PROSPERO CRD42019162195) to synthesise effectiveness evidence from randomised or cluster-randomised controlled trials of community-based complex interventions to sustain independence for older people (mean age 65+) living at home, grouped according to their intervention components. Main outcomes: Living at home, activities of daily living (ADL), care-home placement, and service/economic
Introduction Provision of community-based health services to support independence of older people, and further research in this area, would be improved by a typology of these complex interventions - thereby enabling evidence synthesis and the identification of effective intervention components. We aimed to produce such a typology in preparation for a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Methods The typology was developed based upon the descriptions of these interventions in published reports. This involved four stages: (1) systematic identification of relevant RCTs and related
Introduction People recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may withdraw from physical activity because of PD symptoms or loss of confidence. We are conducting a feasibility trial of a remote physiotherapy intervention. To gain a broader understanding of attitudes to physical activity and physiotherapy, we surveyed people with early PD in UK. Methods We developed a questionnaire (JISC Online Surveys) about physical activity and remote physiotherapy. This was distributed on paper to local Parkinson’s UK groups, and online via Parkinson’s UK newsletter and social media. Results We
Introduction Delirium remains under-recognised. We wished to improve recognition of delirium on our assessment wards. Methods Data was collected prospectively on two admissions wards between 18/10/21 and 30/01/23 initially weekly, and then periodically to assess for the presence of a 4AT assessment by post take ward round. PDSA 1 -Departmental meeting to raise awareness and creating of an improvement team including doctors and ward managers. PDSA 2 -Teaching ward nurses “How to” do a 4AT and education sessions for nurses on delirium. Online guide on 4AT PDSA 3 -Adding 4AT to the admissions
Background North Central London Integrated Care System has invested in a pre-hospital programme where geriatricians and emergency physicians support London Ambulance Service via a telephone ‘Silver Triage’ in their clinical decision making on whether to convey an older person living with frailty to hospital. The results of the scheme are described elsewhere. Methods 452 cases were discussed with Silver Triage between November 2021 and January 2023. Paramedics using the service were sent a survey including a free text question on how the scheme could be improved which was analysed using
Introduction: In the current European guidelines, sarcopenia is diagnosed on the basis of low muscle strength, with low muscle mass used to confirm diagnosis. The added value of measuring muscle mass is unclear. We performed a systematic review to assess whether muscle mass was independently associated with adverse outcomes in patients with hip fracture. Method: The systematic review protocol was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42021274981). Electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov) were searched for observational studies of patients with hip fracture
Wellbeing of unpaid carers over fifty: an analysis of data from English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Introduction There is relatively little known about physical health of older people who are unpaid carers. The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Wave 9 (2019) was used to examine the relationship between unpaid caring and health. This study contains information on frailty, caring, comorbidities and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) from 8,736 participants 50 years and over. Methods We included participants who received a nurse visit in Wave 9 (n=3,047), 21 were excluded due to missing data. Frailty was calculated using the ELSA-Frailty Index (FI). Carers were those in
Introduction: NICE guidelines state that assessment of osteoporosis risk is a part of multifactorial fall assessment in older people who present with a fall (NICE clinical guidelines: fall in older people, June 2013). This audit was conducted to examine and improve our practice in assessing osteoporosis risk in patients admitted with fall to Care of Elderly department. Method: FRAX or QFracture are the recommended tools to evaluate the risk of osteoporosis and future fragility fracture. We have checked if any of these assessment tools has been used in patients who were admitted with a
INTRODUCTION: Frailty assessment in stroke is not commonly integrated into clinical practice, despite current clinical recommendations. Pre-stroke frailty is associated with longer-term mortality, length of admission, and disability. Similarly, anticholinergic burden (ACB) is not routinely reviewed, even though it is associated with cognitive and physical impairment, increased hospital admissions, and higher mortality in older people. Healthcare Improvement Scotland-Frailty (HIS-Frailty) is a novel tool for the evaluation of frailty in older people. Our aim was to compare and correlate the
Introduction Small vessel disease (SVD) lesions may cause symptoms apart from stroke. We aimed to determine whether white matter hyperintensity (WMH) progression and incident infarcts associate with gait, mood, and cognitive symptoms. Method We recruited patients with non-disabling stroke (modified Rankin Scale The baseline visit occurred 3months post-stroke. We repeated MRI and symptoms assessments every 3-6 months for 12 months, assessing WMH change and incident infarcts (i.e. new since previous scan) on DWI or FLAIR. We analysed WMH using cubed root normalised for intracranial volume. We
Background Dietary nitrate (inorganic nitrate) supplementation has been proposed as an intervention to improve muscle function via increased nitric oxide (NO) availability. Although some studies show benefit in younger adults, the effectsin older people are unclear. This systematic review evaluated the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on physical performance and muscle strength measures in older people. Method The review was conducted according to a prespecified protocol by two reviewers. We included interventional studies using dietary nitrate supplementation, mean participant age