Clinical trial NCT06873256: Evaluation of the Hospital Pathway for Frail Elderly Patients Hospitalised for Pathologies Leading to Medical Decompensation
Official title: Evaluation of the Hospital Pathway for Frail Elderly Patients Hospitalised for Pathologies Leading to Medical Decompensation
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Frail Elderly People Hospitalized
Keywords: Elderly person
Weakness
Addressing
Nursing home
911
Lead sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Toulon La Seyne sur Mer
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-03-12
Enrollment: 2000
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 75
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: OTHER
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Frail elderly people hospitalized

Brief summary: People aged over 75 account for 25% of emergency department visits in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region. Depending on the facility, around 50% of these patients are discharged home without being hospitalised. Yet the scientific literature highlights the frequent deterioration in the physical and mental state of the elderly during a visit to the emergency department: discomfort on the stretcher, waiting, loneliness and disorientation are the causes, and therefore increase co-morbidity. Very few studies have been carried out to date to compare the impact on frailty risk factors of direct admission to hospital versus admission via emergency service for a frail elderly population. Studies are usually based on a population aged over 75 as the sole criterion, which no longer corresponds to the definition of a frail elderly person. What's more, there are major challenges in coordinating hospital and outpatient care to optimise resources.

The aim is to assess whether the creation of new care pathways, requiring considerable human and financial resources, will improve the care of frail elderly people. In order to assess the benefits of the systems set up at the hospital this study will compare the outcome of frail elderly people (≥ 75 years old with a geriatric score ≥ 8) hospitalised for medical decompensation pathologies according to their mode of admission, the management of their dependency and their accessibility to the attending physician, whether in individual accommodation or in an Residential Establishment for Dependent Elderly People.

This is a regional multicentre, observational, prospective and retrospective study looking at the future of frail elderly people hospitalised at the hospital during 2024/2025 (from 01/09/2024 to 01/03/2025).

The study will be conducted retrospectively, including patients hospitalised since 1st September 2024, and prospectively, including patients over time until the end of the inclusion period (01/03/2025). Patients will be followed for 90 days after hospitalisation, i.e. data will be collected until 01/06/2025.

Justification of the public interest

This research could make it possible to identify new protective factors against deterioration in the frail elderly, other than direct admission to a hospital ward, which would require fewer human and material resources, such as an Mobile Geriatric Team or a stay in a Short-Term Hospitalization Unit.

If direct admissions lead to fewer patients being admitted back to hospital, this could encourage existing medical and surgical specialties outside geriatrics and support geriatric assessment.

Lastly, this research would make it possible to draw up an inventory of the frailty of the elderly in the Toulon conurbation, in order to optimise the screening of frail elderly people in conjunction with the territorial care coordination west var region.

Data collection begins as soon as the frail elderly person is hospitalised and continues for up to 90 days after the start of hospitalisation (retrospectively and prospectively).


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patient aged ≥ 75 years;
* Patient cared for at the Intercommunal Hospital Center of Toulon-La Seyne sur Mer (Sainte Musse and Georges Sand hospitals) between 01/09/2024 and 01/03/2025 and presenting a geriatric score ≥ 8 (score defined by multidisciplinary work);
* Patient requiring hospitalisation for medical decompensation.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient with acute pathologies requiring admission to the intensive care unit;
* Patient whose care is in the field of traumatology in isolation;
* Patient's refusal to take part in the research.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The main objective was to assess the 90-day morbidity and mortality of frail elderly people hospitalized, depending on their mode of hospitalization.
timeFrame: 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: To assess the 30-day morbidity and mortality of frail elderly people hospitalized according to their mode of hospitalization.
timeFrame: 1 month
measure: Evaluate the prognosis of frailty at a distance, based on the presence of a Mobile Geriatric Team during hospitalization and on the implementation of an assistance plan in conjunction with a hospital social worker, enabling a safe return home.
timeFrame: 1 month
measure: Evaluate the prognosis of frailty at a distance, based on the presence of a Mobile Geriatric Team during hospitalization and on the implementation of an assistance plan in conjunction with a hospital social worker, enabling a safe return home.
timeFrame: 3 months
measure: For the sub-group of patients referred from nursing homes, assess the time between the last General Practitioner referral and hospitalization.
timeFrame: 1 year before hospitalization
measure: Evaluate the proportion of frail patients who have been specifically identified by the territorial care coordination teams prior to hospitalization.
timeFrame: 1 year before hospitalization
measure: Analyze the patient's destination at the end of the initial hospitalization
timeFrame: Up to 1 month
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Toulon
country: France
facility: Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon-La Seyne sur Mer
state: Var
Study officials:
affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon- La Seyne sur mer
name: Marc FOURNIER, MD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: