Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27515720›Full record

Trial reportBMC medicine2016

Improving comfort in people with dementia and pneumonia: a cluster randomized trial.

Tessa van der Maaden, Henrica C W de Vet, Wilco P Achterberg, Froukje Boersma, Jos M G A Schols, David R Mehr, Francisca Galindo-Garre, Cees M P M Hertogh, Raymond T C M Koopmans, Jenny T van der Steen

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Complex advance care planning intervention in general practice (ACP-GP): a cluster-randomised controlled trial.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024
    Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Palliative Care in Advanced Dementia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Tessa van der MaadenEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. t.vandermaaden@gmail.com.
Henrica C W de VetEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Wilco P AchterbergDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Froukje BoersmaDepartment of General Practice, Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Jos M G A ScholsDepartment of Family Medicine and Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
David R MehrDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
Francisca Galindo-GarreEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cees M P M HertoghEMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Raymond T C M KoopmansDepartment of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Jenny T van der SteenDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.vandersteen@vumc.nl.
EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research · NLLeiden University Medical Center · NLAmsterdam UMC Location VUmc · NLMaastricht University · NLRadboud University Medical Center · NLUniversity Medical Center Groningen · NLUniversity of Missouri · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPneumonia in people with dementia has been associated with severe discomfort. We sought to assess the effectiveness of a practice guideline for optimal symptom relief for nursing home residents with dementia and pneumonia.

methodsA single-blind, multicenter, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 32 Dutch nursing homes. Outcomes were assessed on the patient level. The main outcome measures were discomfort and symptoms: discomfort (DS-DAT: Discomfort Scale-Dementia of Alzheimer Type), (lack of) comfort (EOLD-CAD: End Of Life in Dementia-Comfort Assessment in Dying), pain (PAINAD: Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia), and respiratory distress (RDOS: Respiratory Distress Observation Scale). Outcomes were scheduled daily from diagnosis until 10 days later and a final time between 13-15 days from diagnosis by trained observers who were blinded to the intervention and the residents' condition and treatment. In a pre-intervention phase, usual care was provided to all homes. In the intervention phase, matched clusters of homes were randomized to either the control (n = 16) or intervention condition (n = 16).

resultsBetween 1 January 2012 and 1 May 2015, 464 episodes of pneumonia were included. Outcomes were obtained for 399 episodes in 367 residents. Longitudinal multilevel linear regression analyses were performed on log-transformed outcomes, so coefficients should be interpreted as a ratio, and a coefficient of 1 means no difference. The practice guideline in the intervention phase did not reduce the level of discomfort and symptoms: DS-DAT: 1.11 (95 % CI 0.93-1.31), EOLD-CAD: 1.01 (95 % CI 0.98-1.05), PAINAD: 1.04 (95 % CI 0.93-1.15), RDOS: 1.11 (95 % CI 0.90-1.24). However, in both the intervention and control groups, lack of comfort and respiratory distress gradually decreased during the entire 3.5 years of data collection, and were lower in the intervention phase compared to the pre-intervention phase: DS-DAT: 0.93 (95 % CI 0.85-1.01), EOLD-CAD: 0.98 (95 % CI 0.97-1.00), PAINAD: 0.96 (95 % CI 0.91-1.01), RDOS: 0.92 (95 % CI 0.87-0.98).

conclusionsWhen compared to usual care, the practice guideline for optimal symptom relief did not relieve discomfort and symptoms in nursing home residents with dementia and pneumonia. However, discomfort and symptoms decreased gradually throughout the data collection in both the intervention homes and the control homes. An intervention that focuses on creating awareness may be more effective than a physician practice guideline.

trial registrationThe Netherlands National Trial Register (ID number NTR5071 . Registered 10 March 2015).

Indexed as

Practice Guidelines as TopicAgedAged, 80 and overDementiaDyspneaEmotionsFemaleHumansMaleNetherlandsNursing HomesPatient ComfortPneumoniaSingle-Blind MethodDementiaDiscomfortNursing homesPneumoniaPractice guidelineTrial

Identifiers

PMID27515720
PMCPMC4981997
OpenAlexW2508736479

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.