Clinical trial NCT06902636: Geriatric Trauma Care Program for Living Alone Older Adults With Injuries
Official title: Patient Experience of Older Adults Living Alone With Injuries and Long-Term Effects of Geriatric Trauma Care Program for Living Alone Older Adults With Injuries
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Limb Injury
Older Adults
Geriatric
Pain
Geriatric Depression
Barthel Index
Quality of Life
Loneliness
Keywords: Limb injury
geriatric trauma
older adults
loneliness
Lead sponsor: Kaohsiung Medical University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan
First posted: 2025-03-30
Enrollment: 90
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: A randomized, double-blind, two-arm experimental design will be used.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: To examine the long-term effects of the Geriatric Trauma Care Program (GTCP) regarding pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone.

Detailed description: Traumatic injuries among older adults represent a significant public health concern due to their potential to severely affect individuals' long-term physical, emotional, and social well-being. Older adults who experience traumatic injuries often face substantial challenges during recovery, particularly those living alone who may lack sufficient support systems, exacerbating their vulnerability to chronic health issues. Pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and diminished health-related quality of life are prevalent adverse outcomes following traumatic injuries, underscoring the critical need for effective, targeted care strategies to address these multidimensional impacts.

The Geriatric Trauma Care Program (GTCP) is a nurse practitioner-led, digitalized trauma care program designed to provide comprehensive and accessible intervention aimed at improving immediate trauma care outcomes and facilitating sustainable recovery among older adults. While short-term benefits of digitally supported, geriatric-focused trauma interventions have been documented, the long-term effectiveness of such programs, especially for older individuals who live alone, remains less understood. Consequently, examining the enduring impact of the GTCP is essential to determine its effectiveness in fostering sustained recovery and improving quality of life for this vulnerable population. This study aims to address this gap by evaluating the long-term effects of the GTCP on pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone. Findings from this research will provide valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers to enhance care delivery models, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately improve long-term outcomes for older adults recovering from traumatic injuries.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. willing to join this study for three months
2. with limb injuries
3. living alone in a household
4. aged 65 years old or older
5. independent before a traumatic injury
6. having a smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. with an ISS greater than 16 (severe injuries)
2. having cognitive impairments
3. diagnosed with psychiatric illness

Primary outcomes:
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
measure: Functional disability
timeFrame: Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
measure: Depression
timeFrame: Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
measure: Loneliness
timeFrame: Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
measure: Health-related quality of life
timeFrame: Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Kaohsiung
country: Taiwan
facility: Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital
Study officials:
affiliation: College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University
name: Bih-O Lee, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: