Open Access
Tasks and Activities of an Effective Collaborative Dementia Care Management Program in German Primary Care
Author(s) -
Franka Mühlichen,
Bernhard Michalowsky,
Anika Rädke,
Moritz Platen,
Wiebke Mohr,
Jochen René Thyrian,
Wolfgang Hoffmann
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of alzheimer's disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.677
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1875-8908
pISSN - 1387-2877
DOI - 10.3233/jad-215656
Subject(s) - dementia , psychological intervention , dyad , quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , health care , multivariate analysis , psychology , gerontology , nursing , disease , social psychology , pathology , economics , economic growth
Background: Recent studies have demonstrated the efficiency of collaborative dementia care, which aims to improve post-diagnostic support. However, tasks carried out of such models are currently unknown, hindering its implementation. Objective: To describe tasks of a collaborative model of dementia care, analyze the association between specific task subgroups and number of tasks with patients’ and caregivers’ characteristics and the impact of specific tasks on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: The analysis was based on 183 persons with dementia (PwD) who received dementia care management conducted by dementia-specific qualified nurses. A standardized, computer-assisted assessment was used to identify patients’ and caregivers’ unmet needs. Tasks carried out to address unmet needs were documented, categorized, and descriptively analyzed. We used multivariate regression models to identify socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with a specific subgroup of tasks or a higher number of tasks. Results: On average, 20.5 tasks were carried out per dyad (PwD and caregiver). 41% of tasks were categorized to cooperation with other healthcare providers, 39% to nursing care, and 19% to social support. Lower HRQoL and higher age, cognitive impairment, deficits in daily living activities, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a higher number of tasks. A higher number of cooperation tasks were associated with a higher gain in HRQoL. Conclusion: Patients’ characteristics and HRQoL significantly determine the intensity of collaborative care interventions. Variability of the intensity should be considered in developing future studies and in the implementation into routine care. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01401582