Impact of a Videoconference Educational Intervention on Physical Restraint and Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes: Results From the ECHO-AGE Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: US nursing homes care for increasing numbers of residents with dementia and associated behavioral problems. They often lack access to specialized clinical expertise relevant to managing these problems. Project ECHO-AGE provides this expertise through videoconference sessions between frontline nursing home staff and clinical experts at an academic medical center. We hypothesized that ECHO-AGE would result in less use of physical and chemical restraints and other quality improvements in participating facilities. DESIGN: A 2:1 matched-cohort study comparing quality of care outcomes between ECHO-AGE facilities and matched controls for the period July 2012 to December 2013. SETTING: Eleven nursing homes in Massachusetts and Maine. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home staff and a hospital-based team of geriatrician, geropsychiatrist, and neurologist discussed anonymized residents with dementia. INTERVENTION: Biweekly online video case discussions and brief didactic sessions focused on the management of dementia and behavior disorders. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome variables were percentage of residents receiving antipsychotic medications and the percentage of residents who were physically restrained. Secondary outcomes included 9 other quality of care metrics from MDS 3.0. RESULTS: Residents in ECHO-AGE facilities were 75% less likely to be physically restrained compared with residents in control facilities over the 18-month intervention period (OR = 0.25, P = .05). Residents in ECHO-AGE facilities were 17% less likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medication compared with residents in control facilities (OR = 0.83, P = .07). Other outcomes were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Preliminary evidence suggests that participation in Project ECHO-AGE reduces rates of physical restraint use and may reduce rates of antipsychotic use among long-term nursing home residents.

ECHO-AGE: an innovative model of geriatric care for long-term care residents with dementia and behavioral issues.

OBJECTIVES: To design, implement, and assess the pilot phase of an innovative, remote case-based video-consultation program called ECHO-AGE that links experts in the management of behavior disorders in patients with dementia to nursing home care providers. DESIGN: Pilot study involving surveying of participating long-term care sites regarding utility of recommendations and resident outcomes. SETTING: Eleven long-term care sites in Massachusetts and Maine. PARTICIPANTS: An interprofessional specialty team at a tertiary care center and staff from 11 long-term care sites. INTERVENTION: Long-term care sites presented challenging cases regarding residents with dementia and/or delirium related behavioral issues to specialists via video-conferencing. METHODS: Baseline resident characteristics and follow-up data regarding compliance with ECHO-AGE recommendations, resident improvement, hospitalization, and mortality were collected from the long-term care sites. RESULTS: Forty-seven residents, with a mean age of 82 years, were presented during the ECHO-AGE pilot period. Eighty-three percent of residents had a history of dementia and 44% were taking antipsychotic medications. The most common reasons for presentation were agitation, intrusiveness, and paranoia. Behavioral plans were recommended in 72.3% of patients. Suggestions for medication adjustments were also frequent. ECHO-AGE recommendations were completely or partially followed in 88.6% of residents. When recommendations were followed, sites were much more likely to report clinical improvement (74% vs 20%, P < .03). Hospitalization was also less common among residents for whom recommendations were followed. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a case-based video-consultation program can be successful in improving the care of elders with dementia and/or delirium related behavioral issues by linking specialists with long-term care providers.

Preliminary data from an advanced dementia consult service: integrating research, education, and clinical expertise.

Hospitalized individuals with advanced dementia often receive care that is of limited clinical benefit and inconsistent with preferences. An advanced dementia consultation service was designed, and a pre and post pilot study was conducted in a Boston hospital to evaluate it. Geriatricians and a palliative care nurse practitioner conducted consultations, which consisted of structured consultation, counseling and provision of an information booklet to the family, and postdischarge follow-up with the family and primary care providers. Individuals aged 65 and older with advanced dementia who were admitted were identified, and consultations were solicited using pop-ups programmed into the computerized provider order entry (POE) system. In the initial 3-month period, 24 subjects received usual care. In the subsequent 3-month period, consultations were provided to five subjects for whom they were requested. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record and proxy interviews (admission, 1 month after discharge). Mean age of the combined sample (N = 29) was 85.4, 58.6% were from nursing homes, and 86.2% of their proxies stated that comfort was the goal of care. Nonetheless, their hospitalizations were characterized by high rates of intravenous antibiotics (86.2%), more than five venipunctures (44.8%), and radiological examinations (96.6%). Acknowledging the small sample size, there were trends toward better outcomes in the intervention group, including greater proxy knowledge of the disease, better communication between proxies and providers, more advance care planning, lower rehospitalization rates, and fewer feeding tube insertions after discharge. Targeted consultation for advanced dementia is feasible and may promote greater engagement of proxies and goal-directed care after discharge.

Identification and management of in-hospital drug-induced delirium in older patients.

Delirium, an acute confusional state with changes in attention and cognition, is a common cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized elders. Medications are responsible for up to 39% of delirium cases in the elderly. The incidence of drug-induced delirium is particularly high in this population due to the altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of aging, high prevalence of polypharmacy and occurrence of co-morbid disease. Although certain medications are more often associated with the development of delirium, including opioids, benzodiazepines, anticholinergics and antidepressants, any medication can cause delirium in the elderly. Evaluation of delirium should include a thorough medication history, which should determine if any new medications have been initiated, if medications have been discontinued, and the details of any recent dosage adjustments. It is important to understand the utility of medications in preventing and treating delirium in the elderly. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have not been found to reduce the incidence of delirium or length of hospitalization. Study results regarding the utility of antipsychotic medications in preventing delirium have been mixed. Haloperidol prophylaxis did not reduce the occurrence of delirium, but it did reduce the severity and duration. Olanzapine and risperidone were associated with a reduced incidence of delirium compared with placebo. Pharmacological therapy to treat delirium should be implemented only if patients pose a safety risk to themselves or others. Typical and atypical antipsychotics are effective in treating the symptoms of delirium, but it is important to note that they are not approved by the US FDA for this indication. Short-acting benzodiazepines are second-line therapy and are typically reserved for patients with sedative/alcohol withdrawal, Parkinson's disease or neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Study results regarding the utility of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have been mixed.