Personalized Integrated Care Promoting Quality of Life for Older People: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Judica Elda , Tropea Peppino , Bouça-Machado Raquel , Marín Mayca , Calarota Elisa , Cozma Liviu , Badea Raluca , Ahmed Mona , Brach Michael , Ferreira Joaquim J , Corbo Massimo 
Published: July 2023

Background

Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD) are the 2 most common neurodegenerative diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. The Personalized Integrated Care Promoting Quality of Life for Older People (PC4L) project proposes an integrated, scalable, and interactive care ecosystem that can be easily adapted to the needs of several neurodegenerative and chronic diseases, care institutions, and end user requirements.

Objective

The study protocol developed within the framework of the PC4L project aims to iteratively test the integrated platform and its modules, and focuses primarily on assessing the impact of the proposed solution (ie, the PC4L platform) on patients’ quality of life, as well as its usability and feasibility on a large-scale sample size in 3 different scenarios (home, neurorehabilitation, and day care centers).

Methods

A prospective multicenter clinical study is conducted in 5 European countries (Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and Spain) at 6 different pilot centers, for 3 months, in patients with PD, Parkinsonism, AD, and other dementias (ODs). Patients were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to the intervention group (use of the PC4L system) or the control group (no intervention). The PC4L system consists mainly of a wristband for monitoring parameters such as steps and levels of physical activity, and the PC4L app, which includes different engaging functionalities. Both groups are assessed through baseline and end-of-study clinical evaluations, including assessment of quality of life through the EQ-5D-3L scale.

Results

The study protocol is part of a project approved and funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 (grant agreement number 875221). The ethics committees of all involved centers reviewed and approved the study protocol. The study began with the recruitment phase in September 2022, and enrollment ended in February 2023. Recruitment is now closed (April 2023). The results of this study are expected to be published in summer 2023. A total of 558 patients, 279 per study group, were recruited. The results will allow to clarify the impact of PC4L on quality of life, will assess the empowerment of patients and the medical resources use, as well as the usability of the final version of the PC4L system. It will also provide information on the support of the system as a tool to facilitate the decision-making process.

Conclusions

The PC4L project intends to test a technology-based, integrated, scalable, and interactive care platform on patients with neurodegenerative diseases and proposes a good coordinated care model between all involved actors. Future developments of the PC4L solution may involve caregivers and socio-health professionals in the decision-making process in order to facilitate efficient communication between all stakeholders and ensure reliable and protected access to data within Europe.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05538455; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05538455

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/47916