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Maintaining independence in individuals with dementia at home after a fall: a protocol for the UK pilot cluster randomised controlled trial MAINTAIN

Por: Greene · L. · Barber · R. · Bingham · A. · Connors · J. · Conroy · S. · Elkhafer · K. · Fox · C. · Goodwin · V. · Gordon · A. · Hall · A. J. · Harwood · R. H. · Hulme · C. · Jackson · T. · Litherland · R. · Morgan-Trimmer · S. · Pankiewicz · S. · Parry · S. W. · Sharma · A. · Ukoumunne · O.
Introduction

Individuals with dementia face an increased risk of falls. Falls can cause a decline in the individual’s overall functionality. All types of falls, including those that do not result in injury, can lead to psychosocial consequences, such as diminished confidence and a fear of falling. Projections indicate a rising trend in dementia diagnoses, implying an increase in fall incidents. Yet, there is a lack of evidence to support interventions for people living with dementia who have fallen. Our objective is to test the feasibility of a falls intervention trial for people with dementia.

Method and analysis

This is a UK-based two-arm pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. In this study, six collaborating sites, which form the clusters, will be randomly allocated to either the intervention arm or the control arm (receiving treatment as usual) at a 1:1 ratio. During the 6 month recruitment phase, each cluster will enrol 10 dyads, comprising 10 individuals with dementia and their respective carers, leading to a total sample size of 60 dyads. The primary outcomes are the feasibility parameters for a full trial (ie, percentage consented, follow-up rate and cost framework). Secondary outcomes include activities of daily living, quality of life, fall efficacy, mobility, goal attainment, cognitive status, occurrence of falls, carer burden and healthcare service utilisation. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline and 28 weeks, with an additional assessment scheduled at 12 weeks for the healthcare service utilisation questionnaire. An embedded process evaluation, consisting of interviews and observations with participants and healthcare professionals, will explore how the intervention operates and the fidelity of study processes.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by the NHS and local authority research governance and research ethics committees (NHS REC reference: 23/WA/0126). The results will be shared at meetings and conferences and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN16413728.

Interventions to promote the health and well-being of children under 5s experiencing homelessness in high-income countries: a scoping review

Por: Tu · Y. · Sarkar · K. · Svirydzenka · N. · Palfreyman · Z. · Parry · Y. K. · Ankers · M. · Parikh · P. · Raghavan · R. · Lakhanpaul · M.
Objectives

Homelessness among families with children under 5 residing in temporary accommodation is a growing global concern, especially in high-income countries (HICs). Despite significant impacts on health and development, these ‘invisible’ children often fall through the gaps in policy and services. The study’s primary objective is to map the content and delivery methods of culturally sensitive interventions for children under 5 experiencing homelessness in HICs.

Design

A scoping review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.

Data sources

Databases include PubMed, Medline, SCOPUS, The Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were searched up to 24 March 2022.

Eligibility criteria

This scoping review includes studies that describe, measure or evaluate intervention strategies aimed at improving child health programmes, specifically those yielding positive outcomes in key areas like feeding, nutrition, care practices and parenting.

Data extraction and synthesis

Articles were selected and evaluated by two independent reviewers, with a dispute resolution system involving a third reviewer for contested selections. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using various tools including the Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, Cochrane RoB V.2.0, the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies (RoBANS) and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), each selected according to the type of article.

Results

The database search yielded 951 results. After deduplication, abstract screening and full review, 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. Two predominant categories of intervention delivery methods were identified in this research: group-based interventions (educational sessions) and individual-based interventions (home visits).

Conclusion

This review highlights effective interventions for promoting the health and well-being of children under 5 experiencing homelessness, including educational sessions and home visits. Research has supported the importance of home visiting to be instrumental in breaking down language, cultural and health literacy barriers.

Continuity of care and consultation mode in general practice: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study using patient-level and practice-level data from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in England

Por: Parry · W. · Fraser · C. · Crellin · E. · Hughes · J. · Vestesson · E. · Clarke · G. M.
Objectives

Investigate trends in continuity of care with a general practitioner (GP) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identify whether continuity of care is associated with consultation mode, controlling for other patient and practice characteristics.

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies.

Setting

Primary care records from 389 general practices participating in Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum in England.

Participants

In the descriptive analysis, 100 000+ patients were included each month between April 2018 and April 2021. Modelling of the association between continuity of care and consultation mode focused on 153 475 and 125 298 patients in index months of February 2020 (before the pandemic) and February 2021 (during the pandemic) respectively, and 76 281 patients in both index months.

Primary and secondary outcomes measures

The primary outcome measure was the Usual Provider of Care index. Secondary outcomes included the Bice-Boxerman index and count of consultations with the most frequently seen GP.

Results

Continuity of care was gradually declining before the pandemic but stabilised during it. There were consistent demographic, socioeconomic and regional differences in continuity of care. An average of 23% of consultations were delivered remotely in the year to February 2020 compared with 76% in February 2021. We found little evidence consultation mode was associated with continuity at the patient level, controlling for a range of covariates. In contrast, patient characteristics and practice-level supply and demand were associated with continuity.

Conclusions

We set out to examine the association of consultation mode with continuity of care but found that GP supply and patient demand were much more important. To improve continuity for patients, primary care capacity needs to increase. This requires sufficient, long-term investment in clinicians, staff, facilities and digital infrastructure. General practice also needs to transform ways of working to ensure continuity for those that need it, even in a capacity-constrained environment.

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