Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU).
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Nursing Home Care, Hospitalisation Prevention. Basic parameters: No limits · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Germany
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Observational Before-After Study
Overview
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase during which the MGU is implemented. The MGU provides advanced on-site diagnostics and telemedicine-supported specialist consultation within nursing homes.
Detailed description
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents in Saarland, Germany. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase with MGU implementation in 46 nursing homes.
The MGU provides on-site advanced diagnostics (CT, X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and laboratory testing) supported by telemedicine consultation with hospital specialists. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics in the nursing home, with results communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.
Usual care involves hospital referral and in-hospital diagnostics. The intervention aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions by providing diagnostics and specialist input directly in the nursing home.
The primary outcome is hospital admissions per person-year. Secondary outcomes include mortality, functional and cognitive status, quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), complications, healthcare costs, and 30-day hospitalisation-free survival.
Eligible participants are nursing home residents with consent or proxy consent; those requiring immediate hospitalisation are excluded.
Data are obtained from routine care and medical records, MGU documentation, structured assessments, and follow-up. Multilevel Poisson regression and interrupted time series analysis will be used.
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Saarland (AZ 159-21) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Interventions
- Other Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)
The MGU is a mobile diagnostic unit providing on-site diagnostics in nursing homes. It includes a 32-slice (64 slice reconstruction) whole body CT scanner, digital X-ray, portable ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and point-of-care laboratory diagnostics. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics on-site. Results are transmitted via telemedicine to hospital specialists and communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.
Primary outcome measures
- Hospital admissions per person-year [Time frame: Up to 24 months]
Secondary outcome measures (7)
- Mortality [Time frame: Day 180]
- Functional status; mobility: modified Rankin Scale (mRS) [Time frame: Day 180]
- Functional status; frailty: Clinical Frailty Scale [Time frame: Day 180]
- Cognitive status [Time frame: Day 180]
- Quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) [Time frame: Day 180]
- Healthcare costs [Time frame: Day 360]
- 30-day hospitalisation-free survival [Time frame: Day 30]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Residents of participating nursing homes
- Informed consent from participant or legal representative
Exclusion criteria
- Acute life-threatening conditions requiring immediate hospitalisation
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Germany · 1 center
- Nursing Homes in Saarland — Homburg
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07634757 · MGU