Frailty screening with comprehensive geriatrician-led multidisciplinary assessment for older adults during emergency hospital attendance in Ireland (SOLAR): a randomised controlled trial.
Aoife Leahy, Louise Barry, Gillian Corey, Aoife Whiston, Helen Purtill, Elaine Shanahan, Denys Shchetkovsky, Damien Ryan, Monica O'Loughlin, Margaret O'Connor, Rose Galvin
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Multidisciplinary comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) improves outcomes in hospitalised older adults but there is limited evidence on its effectiveness in the emergency department. We aimed to assess the benefits of CGA in the emergency department for older adults living with frailty.
Methods: In this randomised controlled trial, we enrolled older adults (≥75 years) who presented to the emergency department with medical complaints at University Hospital Limerick (Limerick, Ireland). Participants screened positive for frailty on the Identification of Seniors at Risk screening tool (score ≥2). Patients requiring resuscitation as well as those with COVID-19, psychiatric, surgical, or trauma complaints were excluded. Participants were randomly allocated 1:1 to geriatrician-led multidisciplinary CGA and management or usual care. Outcome assessors were masked to treatment allocation. The primary efficacy outcome was time spent in the emergency department, defined as the time from registration on the computer database until time of discharge or admission to an inpatient ward in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04629690.
Findings: Between Nov 9, 2020, and May 13, 2021, we recruited 228 patients. 113 participants were included in the intervention group (mean age 82·4 years [SD 4·9]; 63 [56%] women; 113 [100%] White Irish) and 115 in the control group (83·1 [5·6]; 61 [53%]; 112 [97%]). Median time in the emergency department was 11·5 h (IQR 5-27) in the intervention group and 20 h (7-29) in the control group (median difference [Hodges-Lehmann estimator] 3·1 h [95% CI 0·6-7·5]; p=0·013). There were no adverse events related to the intervention.
Interpretation: Geriatrician-led multidisciplinary assessment of older adults living with frailty was associated with reduced time spent in the emergency department setting at index visit and lower rates of nursing home admission, greater increases in quality of life, and lower decreases in function at both 30 days and 180 days. Multicentre trials are needed to confirm the external validity of the findings. This study provides an evidence base for similar teams in an emergency department setting.
Funding: Health Research Board (ILP-HSR-2017-014).
期刊介绍：
The Lancet Healthy Longevity, a gold open-access journal, focuses on clinically-relevant longevity and healthy aging research. It covers early-stage clinical research on aging mechanisms, epidemiological studies, and societal research on changing populations. The journal includes clinical trials across disciplines, particularly in gerontology and age-specific clinical guidelines. In line with the Lancet family tradition, it advocates for the rights of all to healthy lives, emphasizing original research likely to impact clinical practice or thinking. Clinical and policy reviews also contribute to shaping the discourse in this rapidly growing discipline.
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