The healthcare system needs effective strategies to identify the most vulnerable group of older patients, assess their needs and plan their care proactively. To evaluate the effectiveness of ...comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) of older adults with a high risk of hospitalisation we conducted a prospective, pragmatic, matched-control multicentre trial at 19 primary care practices in Sweden.
We identified 1604 individuals aged 75 years and older using a new, validated algorithm that calculates a risk score for hospitalisation from electronic medical records. After a nine-month run-in period for CGA in the intervention group, 74% of the available 646 participants had accepted and received CGA, and 662 participants remained in the control group. Participants at intervention practices were invited to CGA performed by a nurse together with a physician. The CGA was adapted to the primary care context. The participants thereafter received actions according to individual needs during a two-year follow-up period. Participants at control practices received care as usual. The primary outcome was hospital care days. Secondary outcomes were number of hospital care episodes, number of outpatient visits, health care costs and mortality. Outcomes were analysed according to intention to treat and adjusted for age, gender and risk score. We used generalised linear mixed models to compare the intervention group and control group regarding all outcomes.
Mean age was 83.2 years, 51% of the 1308 participants were female. Relative risk reduction for hospital care days was - 22% (- 35% to - 4%, p = 0.02) during the two-year follow-up. Relative risk reduction for hospital care episodes was - 17% (- 30% to - 2%, p = 0.03). There were no significant differences in outpatient visits or mortality. Health care costs were significantly lower in the intervention group, adjusted mean difference was € - 4324 (€ - 7962 to - 686, p = 0.02).
Our findings indicate that CGA in primary care can reduce the need for hospital care days in a high-risk population of older adults. This could be of great importance in order to manage increasing prevalence of frailty and multimorbidity.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03180606 , first posted 08/06/2017.
A small proportion of the older population accounts for a high proportion of healthcare use. For effective use of limited healthcare resources, it is important to identify the group with greatest ...needs. The aim of this study was to explore frequency and reason for hospitalisation and cumulative mortality, in an older population at predicted high risk of hospital admission, and to assess if a prediction model can be used to identify individuals with the greatest healthcare needs. Furthermore, discharge diagnoses were explored to investigate if they can be used as basis for specific interventions in the high-risk group.
All residents, 75 years or older, living in Östergötland, Sweden, on January 1
, 2017, were included. Healthcare data from 2016 was gathered and used by a validated prediction model to create risk scores for hospital admission. The population was then divided into groups by percentiles of risk. Using healthcare data from 2017-2018, two-year cumulative incidence of hospitalisation was analysed using Gray´s test. Cumulative mortality was analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and primary discharge diagnoses were analysed with standardised residuals.
Forty thousand six hundred eighteen individuals were identified (mean age 82 years, 57.8% women). The cumulative incidence of hospitalisation increased with increasing risk of hospital admission (24% for percentiles < 60 to 66% for percentiles 95-100). The cumulative mortality also increased with increasing risk (7% for percentiles < 60 to 43% for percentiles 95-100). The most frequent primary discharge diagnoses for the population were heart diseases, respiratory infections, and hip injuries. The incidence was significantly higher for heart diseases and respiratory infections and significantly lower for hip injuries, for the population with the highest risk of hospital admission (percentiles 85-100).
Individuals 75 years or older, with high risk of hospital admission, were demonstrated to have considerable higher cumulative mortality as well as incidence of hospitalisation. The results support the use of the prediction model to direct resources towards individuals with highest risk scores, and thus, likely the greatest care needs. There were only small differences in discharge diagnoses between the risk groups, indicating that interventions to reduce hospitalisations should be personalised.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03180606, first posted 08/06/2017.
Individuals with functional impairments or chronic diseases are often in need of assistance in their daily lives. For these individuals it is essential to find novel, cost-effective solutions to meet ...their needs. Service dogs are dogs that are specially trained to assist individuals with functional impairments and may be able to improve these individuals' quality of life at a reasonable cost, i.e. be cost effective. Cost-effectiveness analyses are used to illustrate the cost of an intervention in relation to its effects and provide important input to decision-makers when setting priorities.
The aim of this study is to assess the cost effectiveness of a certified physical service dog and a diabetes alert dog compared to a regular companion dog.
Costs, life years and quality-adjusted life years were estimated over a 10-year time horizon using a decision-analytic model built upon evidence from the"service and hearing dog project". The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio expressed as cost per gained quality-adjusted life year. The analysis was conducted from a societal perspective. Costs and effects were discounted with 3% per annum and reported in USD.
Compared to a regular companion dog, a physical service dog is cost saving -6,000 USD and gives the dog owner more quality-adjusted life years 0.28. The diabetes alert dog is also cost effective in comparison with a regular companion dog -4,500 USD, 0.06 QALYs.
This study indicates that a certified service dog is cost saving in comparison with a regular companion dog for individuals with functional impairments or chronic diseases. The uncertainty of the analysis implies that further studies are needed in order to confirm these results. Nevertheless, physical service dogs and diabetes alert dogs show potential to be a valuable support and decision analytic models are useful tools to provide this information.
Recurrent chest pain episodes with no clear explanation may affect patients' psychological wellbeing and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) negatively. Despite the fact that a significant amount ...of patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) might have a history of Cardiac Disease (CD), there is today a lack of knowledge on how CD influences the association between psychological wellbeing and HRQoL in patients with NCCP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe HRQoL in patients with NCCP, with or without history of CD, and to explore the association between HRQoL and cardiac anxiety, depressive symptoms, fear of body sensations and somatization.
Five hundred fifty-two patients discharged with NCCP from four hospitals in Southeast Sweden completed the EQ-5D, Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Body Sensations Questionnaire, and Patient Health Questionnaire-15.
Fifty precent reported at least moderate problems regarding pain/discomfort and 25% reported at least moderate problems in the HRQoL dimensions mobility, usual activities, and anxiety/depression. Patients with NCCP and history of CD reported significantly lower HRQoL (p ≤ 0.05) compared to patients with NCCP without CD. In the total study population, cardiac anxiety, depressive symptoms, and somatization had weak significant negative associations (beta = 0.187-0.284, p < 0.001) with HRQoL. In patients with history of CD, the association between depressive symptoms and HRQoL was moderate (beta = - 0.339, p < 0.001), compared to weak association in patients without CD (beta = - 0.193, p < 0.001). On the other hand, the association between cardiac anxiety and HRQoL was weak in both patients with history of CD (beta = - 0.156, p = 0.05), and in those without (beta = - 0.229, p < 0.001).
Patients with NCCP, in particular those with history of CD, reported low levels of HRQoL, which was associated with psychological distress. This should be considered when developing psychological interventions aiming to improve HRQoL in patients with NCCP.
Individuals with severe disability often require personal assistance and help from informal caregivers, in addition to conventional health care. The utilization of assistance dogs may decrease the ...need for health and social care and increase the independence of these individuals. Service and hearing dogs are trained to assist specific individuals and can be specialized to meet individual needs. The aim of this study was to describe and explore potential consequences for health-related quality of life, well-being and activity level, of having a certified service or hearing dog.
A longitudinal interventional study with a pre-post design was conducted. At inclusion, all participants in the study had a regular (untrained) companion dog. Data were collected before training of the dog started and three months after certification of the dog. Health-related quality of life was assessed with EQ-5D-3L, EQ-VAS and RAND-36. Well-being was measured with WHO-5 and self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. In addition, questions were asked about physical activity and time spent away from home and on social activities. Subgroups were analyzed for physical service and diabetes alert dogs.
Fifty-five owner-and-dog pairs completed the study (30 physical service dogs, 20 diabetes alert dogs, 2 epilepsy alert dogs, and 3 hearing dogs). Initially, study participants reported low health-related quality of life compared with the general population. At follow-up, health-related quality of life measured with the EQ-VAS, well-being and level of physical activity had improved significantly. In the subgroup analysis, physical service dog owners had lower health-related quality of life than diabetes alert dog owners. The improvement from baseline to follow-up measured with EQ-5D statistically differed between the subgroups.
The target population for service and hearing dogs has an overall low health-related quality of life. Our study indicates that having a certified service or hearing dog may have positive impact on health-related quality of life, well-being and activity level. Service and hearing dogs are a potentially important "wagging tail aid" for this vulnerable population, able to alleviate strain, increase independence, and decrease the risk of social isolation.
The trial was retrospectively registered in http://clinicaltrial.gov , NCT03270592. September, 2017.
To compare the effects of care based on comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) as a complement to usual care in an outpatient setting with those of usual care alone. The assessment was performed 36 ...months after study inclusion.
Randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, single-center trial.
A geriatric ambulatory unit in a municipality in the southeast of Sweden.
Community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 75 years who had received inpatient hospital care 3 or more times in the past 12 months and had 3 or more concomitant medical diagnoses were eligible for study inclusion. Participants were randomized to the intervention group (IG) or control group (CG).
Participants in the IG received CGA-based care for 24 to 31 months at the geriatric ambulatory unit in addition to usual care.
Mortality, transfer to nursing home, days in hospital, and total costs of health and social care after 36 months.
Mean age (SD) of participants was 82.5 (4.9) years. Participants in the IG (n = 208) lived 69 days longer than did those in the CG (n = 174); 27.9% (n = 58) of participants in the IG and 38.5% (n = 67) in the CG died (hazard ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.05-2.12, P = .026). The mean number of inpatient days was lower in the IG (15.1 SD 18.4) than in the CG (21.0 SD 25.0, P = .01). Mean overall costs during the 36-month period did not differ between the IG and CG (USD 71,905 SD 85,560 and USD 65,626 SD 66,338, P = .43).
CGA-based care resulted in longer survival and fewer days in hospital, without significantly higher cost, at 3 years after baseline. These findings add to the evidence of CGA's superiority over usual care in outpatient settings. As CGA-based care leads to important positive outcomes, this method should be used more extensively in the treatment of older people to meet their needs.
Older people with multi-morbidity are increasingly challenging for today's healthcare, and novel, cost-effective healthcare solutions are needed. The aim of this study was to assess the ...cost-effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) at an ambulatory geriatric unit for people ≥75 years with multi-morbidity.
The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) comparing costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of a CGA strategy with usual care in a Swedish setting. Outcomes were estimated over a lifelong time horizon using decision-analytic modelling based on data from the randomized AGe-FIT trial. The analysis employed a public health care sector perspective. Costs and QALYs were discounted by 3% per annum and are reported in 2016 euros.
Compared with usual care CGA was associated with a per patient mean incremental cost of approximately 25,000 EUR and a gain of 0.54 QALYs resulting in an ICER of 46,000 EUR. The incremental costs were primarily caused by intervention costs and costs associated with increased survival, whereas the gain in QALYs was primarily a consequence of the fact that patients in the CGA group lived longer.
CGA in an ambulatory setting for older people with multi-morbidity results in a cost per QALY of 46,000 EUR compared with usual care, a figure generally considered reasonable in a Swedish healthcare context. A rather simple reorganisation of care for older people with multi-morbidity may therefore cost effectively contribute to meet the needs of this complex patient population.
The trial was retrospectively registered in clinicaltrial.gov, NCT01446757 . September, 2011.
To examine costs and effects of care based on comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) provided by an ambulatory geriatric care unit (AGU) in addition to usual care.
Assessor-blinded, single-center ...randomized controlled trial.
AGU in an acute hospital in southeastern Sweden.
Community-dwelling individuals aged 75 years or older who had received inpatient hospital care 3 or more times in the past 12 months and had 3 or more concomitant medical diagnoses were eligible for study inclusion and randomized to the intervention group (IG; n = 208) or control group (CG; n = 174). Mean age (SD) was 82.5 (4.9) years.
Participants in the IG received CGA-based care at the AGU in addition to usual care.
The primary outcome was number of hospitalizations. Secondary outcomes were days in hospital and nursing home, mortality, cost of public health and social care, participant' sense of security in care, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. The number of hospitalizations did not differ between the IG (2.1) and CG (2.4), but the number of inpatient days was lower in the IG (11.1 vs 15.2; P = .035). The IG showed trends of reduced mortality (hazard ratio 1.51; 95% confidence interval CI 0.988–2.310; P = .057) and an increased sense of security in care interaction. No difference in HRQoL was observed. Costs for the IG and CG were 33,371£ (39,947£) and 30,490£ (31,568£; P = .432).
This study of CGA-based care was performed in an ambulatory care setting, in contrast to the greater part of studies of the effects of CGA, which have been conducted in hospital settings. This study confirms the superiority of this type of care to elderly people in terms of days in hospital and sense of security in care interaction and that a shift to more accessible care for older people with multimorbidity is possible without increasing costs. This study can aid the planning of future interventions for older people.
clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01446757.
To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a pragmatic trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment adapted to primary care, compared with care as usual.
Within-trial cost-effectiveness study of a ...prospective controlled multicenter trial.
Nineteen primary care practices in Sweden. The original trial included 1304 individuals aged ≥75 years at high risk of hospitalization selected using a prediction model. From the original trial, 369 individuals participated in the cost-effectiveness analysis, 185 in the intervention group and 184 in the control group. Mean age was 83.9 years and 57% of the participants were men.
We obtained health care costs from administrative registries. Community costs and health-related quality of life data were obtained from a questionnaire sent to participants. Health-related quality of life was measured using EQ-5D-3L and quality-adjusted life years were calculated. We analyzed all outcomes according to intention to treat, and adjusted them to age, gender, and risk score (risk of hospitalization in the next 12 months). The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio associated with the intervention at follow-up after 24 months.
The difference in total cost (incremental cost) between intervention and control groups was USD −11,275 (95% CI −407 to −22,142). The incremental effect in quality-adjusted life years was −0.05 (95% CI −0.17 to 0.08). In the cost-effectiveness plane that illustrates the uncertainty of the analysis, 77.9 of the observations were within the south-east quadrant, implying lower cost and greater effect in the intervention group.
The results suggests that a primary care comprehensive geriatric assessment intervention delivered to older adults at high risk of hospitalization is cost-effective at follow-up after 24 months. The use of a prediction model to select participants and an intervention with a low cost is promising but requires further study.
Exergaming is promising for patients with heart failure who are less inclined to start or maintain exercise programs involving traditional modes of physical activity. Although no effect on exercise ...capacity was found for an off-the-shelf exergame, it is important to gain insights into aspects related to costs to develop such interventions further.
In a randomized controlled trial, the Heart Failure Wii study (HF-Wii study), the intervention group (exergame group) received an introduction to the exergame, the exergame was installed at home and help was offered when needed for 3 months. Patients received telephone follow-ups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the installation. The control group (motivational support group) received activity advice and telephone follow-ups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. We collected data on hospital use and costs, costs of the exergame intervention, patient time-related costs, and willingness to pay.
No significant differences were found between the exergame group (
= 300) versus the motivational support group (
= 305) in hospital use or costs (1-year number of hospitalizations:
= 0.60, costs:
= 0.73). The cost of the intervention was 190 Euros, and the patient time-related costs were 98 Euros. Of the total estimated costs for the intervention, 287 Euros, patients were willing to pay, on average, 58%.
This study shows that the costs of an intervention using an off-the-shelve exergame are relatively low and that the patients were willing to pay for more than half of the intervention costs. The trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01785121).
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