Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Patient-centered Hospital Discharge Planning Intervention for Frail Older Adults

Up to 31% of frail patients are readmitted to hospital within 30 days post-discharge. Unmet needs related to new difficulties in performing activities of daily living (ADL) upon returning home increase their risk of readmission. Comprehensive, patient-centered discharge planning has been reported to improve older adults' ability to perform ADL and to reduce readmission rates. To our knowledge, no such evidence-based discharge protocol is routinely used in Canada with the frail population.

An innovative discharge planning protocol called "HOME" was recently developed in Australia and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in a large sample of older adults in this country. The HOME intervention includes: 1-hospital-based partnership with patient and family to establish goal setting and problem solving; 2-pre-discharge home assessment to address safety issues and problems with patient and family; 3-post-discharge home assessment training to address unmet needs; and 4-Follow-up telephone calls to provide ongoing support to patient and family. Using the HOME protocol in a real-world Canadian context is expected to yield positive functional and clinical outcomes for this population. This hypothesis needs to be verified through a full-scale pragmatic mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) RCT. This innovative method supports the integration of research into care and increase understanding of the results. Given the changes we are making to the Australian design and the different context in which the research will be done, a feasibility study will first be conducted to help circumvent problems that may arise during the full-scale RCT. Thus this study aims to assess the feasibility of conducting a fully powered multi-site, pragmatic, mixed-method RCT that will evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a Canadian version of HOME with respect to (a) functional outcomes: independence in ADL and functional goal attainment; and (b) clinical outcomes: unplanned hospital readmissions and emergency department visits.

A pragmatic pilot RCT using a rater-blinded mixed-method design will be conducted over a 2-year period. Seventy-two frail hospitalized older adults will be consecutively recruited in Sherbrooke (Quebec). Participants will be randomly allocated to the intervention group (HOME) or the control group (customary in-hospital care). Feasibility data, including recruitment and retention rates, will be collected. Quantitative methods will be used to explore the effect of the HOME intervention on (a) functional outcomes, measured by the Functional Autonomy Measurement System and the Goal Attainment Scale, and (b) clinical outcomes based on medical chart data reviews. A qualitative method embedded in the RCT will be used to explore how the intervention is experienced by clinicians, patients and families to plan further refinements. Measures will be taken at baseline, 1 and 3 months post-discharge.

With the participation of the Australian research team and a network of patient-caregiver representatives, clinicians, and key policy makers (e.g., Quebec Ministry of Health), this study will provide clinically-relevant results to support the full-scale RCT. By providing evidence on the effectiveness, benefits and potential drawbacks in a real-world context of the two options (HOME vs customary care), findings from this RCT will help stakeholders make decisions about the best way of delivering discharge planning care for frail patients.

Inclusion criteria

• 70 years or older
• have mild cognitive impairment (MoCA range score: 20-26)
• are expected to return to live in the community after discharge
• are conversant in French or English
• expected hospital stay should be > or = 5 days
• should have a family member who agrees to participate in the study