Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation
Objective The primary study aims were to evaluate the implementation, mechanisms and context of a timely short-term specialised palliative care intervention for older people with frailty (Frailty+ intervention) as well as to assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate Frailty...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e077495.full |
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| author | Lieve Van den Block Kim de Nooijer Lara Pivodic Peter Pype Nele Van Den Noortgate Rose Miranda Kim Eecloo Stefanie De Buyser Aurelie Joos Katlijn Van Mulders |
| author_facet | Lieve Van den Block Kim de Nooijer Lara Pivodic Peter Pype Nele Van Den Noortgate Rose Miranda Kim Eecloo Stefanie De Buyser Aurelie Joos Katlijn Van Mulders |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective The primary study aims were to evaluate the implementation, mechanisms and context of a timely short-term specialised palliative care intervention for older people with frailty (Frailty+ intervention) as well as to assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate Frailty+. Our secondary aim was to describe any preliminary effects of Frailty+.Design Pilot randomised controlled trial with process evaluation.Setting/Participants We aimed to recruit 50 adults (≥70 years) with Clinical Frailty Scale score 5–7, and complex care needs and their main family carer, if available, from two Belgian hospitals on discharge.Interventions Patients were randomised to the Frailty+ intervention alongside standard care or standard care alone.Outcome measures Implementation and trial feasibility were assessed through interviews, focus groups and quantitative data. The primary outcome to be used in a potential full-scale trial if the study is feasible and implementable was mean change in five palliative care symptoms over 8 weeks.Results We enrolled 37 patients (19 intervention, 18 control) and 26 family carers (15 intervention, 11 control). Patients and family carers valued the home visits from palliative care nurses, and nurses saw value in Frailty+. But most patients received only one visit over 8 weeks, and nurses did not organise foreseen multidisciplinary meetings, referring to absence of urgent needs. Many aspects of the trial methods were feasible, but recruitment was challenging. The baseline mean score on the five palliative care symptoms was 6.0 and 5.6 in intervention and control group, respectively; and 4.5 and 4.1 at 8 weeks (adjusted ratio 1.0, ie, no effects on symptoms).Conclusions While Frailty+ was generally welcomed by older people with frailty, families and palliative care nurses, our process evaluation uncovered multiple barriers, mostly rooted in the current organisation of specialised palliative care that is tailored to advanced stages of illness. Ensuring timely access requires efforts beyond timely referral alone, and implies profound organisational and cultural change.Trial registration number ISRCTN39282347. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c7abf923670449629f10141b335a8bd6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-c7abf923670449629f10141b335a8bd62025-02-04T05:40:15ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-02-0115210.1136/bmjopen-2023-077495Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation Lieve Van den Block0Kim de Nooijer1Lara Pivodic2Peter Pype3Nele Van Den Noortgate4Rose MirandaKim EeclooStefanie De BuyserAurelie JoosKatlijn Van MuldersEnd-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, BelgiumEnd-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, BelgiumEnd-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, BelgiumEnd-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, BelgiumEnd-of-life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Ghent University, Brussels, BelgiumObjective The primary study aims were to evaluate the implementation, mechanisms and context of a timely short-term specialised palliative care intervention for older people with frailty (Frailty+ intervention) as well as to assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate Frailty+. Our secondary aim was to describe any preliminary effects of Frailty+.Design Pilot randomised controlled trial with process evaluation.Setting/Participants We aimed to recruit 50 adults (≥70 years) with Clinical Frailty Scale score 5–7, and complex care needs and their main family carer, if available, from two Belgian hospitals on discharge.Interventions Patients were randomised to the Frailty+ intervention alongside standard care or standard care alone.Outcome measures Implementation and trial feasibility were assessed through interviews, focus groups and quantitative data. The primary outcome to be used in a potential full-scale trial if the study is feasible and implementable was mean change in five palliative care symptoms over 8 weeks.Results We enrolled 37 patients (19 intervention, 18 control) and 26 family carers (15 intervention, 11 control). Patients and family carers valued the home visits from palliative care nurses, and nurses saw value in Frailty+. But most patients received only one visit over 8 weeks, and nurses did not organise foreseen multidisciplinary meetings, referring to absence of urgent needs. Many aspects of the trial methods were feasible, but recruitment was challenging. The baseline mean score on the five palliative care symptoms was 6.0 and 5.6 in intervention and control group, respectively; and 4.5 and 4.1 at 8 weeks (adjusted ratio 1.0, ie, no effects on symptoms).Conclusions While Frailty+ was generally welcomed by older people with frailty, families and palliative care nurses, our process evaluation uncovered multiple barriers, mostly rooted in the current organisation of specialised palliative care that is tailored to advanced stages of illness. Ensuring timely access requires efforts beyond timely referral alone, and implies profound organisational and cultural change.Trial registration number ISRCTN39282347.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e077495.full |
| spellingShingle | Lieve Van den Block Kim de Nooijer Lara Pivodic Peter Pype Nele Van Den Noortgate Rose Miranda Kim Eecloo Stefanie De Buyser Aurelie Joos Katlijn Van Mulders Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation BMJ Open |
| title | Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| title_full | Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| title_fullStr | Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| title_short | Timely short-term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family: a mixed-methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| title_sort | timely short term specialised palliative home care for older people with frailty and their family a mixed methods pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e077495.full |
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