Training Healthcare Professionals to Improve Medication Use for Nursing Home Residents with Limited Life Expectancy

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate how training healthcare professionals in medication assessment affects the medication use of nursing home residents aged 65 and older who have a limited life expectancy of less than 1.5 to 2 years. The study focuses on tailoring medication to the palliative treatment goals of these residents and is designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial involving six nursing home organizations and approximately 450 patients. The research is led by Amsterdam UMC and spans one year and three months starting in September 2024. The intervention involves a training program for healthcare professionals, including medical practitioners, pharmacists, and care workers, to align prescriptions with treatment goals established through advance care planning conversations. This training has two parts medication assessment using specialized criteria and advance care planning. Professionals in the intervention group receive this training along with supporting tools and educational materials, while the control group continues with usual care. Data collection occurs at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Participants will be assessed through medication reviews and questionnaires measuring involvement in decision-making, quality of life, and other health outcomes such as falls and hospital admissions. The main outcome is identifying potential under- or overprescribing of medications. The study also monitors experienced involvement in medication decisions, pain levels, and death rates. Participants stay in the study for at least one year, with evaluations at multiple time points to track changes.

Improved Prescribing for Older Nursing Home Patients