Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39355968›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2025

Skilled home healthcare utilization and outcomes for older adults with dementia: A scoping review.

Jamie M Smith, Julia G Burgdorf, Tiffany J Riser, Miriam Ryvicker

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Applying the Brief Interview for Mental Status in a Diverse Home Health Patient Population.Journal of the American Medical Directors Association · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Dementia Severity Associated With Unmet Caregiving Needs During Skilled Home Health Care.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. 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

4 authors.

Jamie M SmithJohns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1621-5711
Julia G BurgdorfCenter for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health, New York, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3356-1897
Tiffany J RiserJohns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5974-2039
Miriam RyvickerCenter for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

Remote Data Enclave Core (RDEC)P30AG066587 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Nancy Schoenborn · 2020 to 2026
$6.7M
Health Services and Outcomes Research for Aging PopulationsT32AG066576 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI CYNTHIA Melinda BOYD, Jennifer L. Wolff · 2020 to 2026
$3.8M
Supporting Dementia Caregivers During Medicare Home Health: Developing the DECLARE Needs Assessment InterventionK01AG081502 · NIA · VISITING NURSE SERVICE OF NEW YORK · PI Julia Burgdorf · 2023 to 2026
$534k
NIA NIH HHS K01 AG081502NIA NIH HHS K01AG081502NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066587NIA NIH HHS T32 AG066576NIA NIH HHS T32AG066576
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aims to summarize the existing research literature examining Medicare-skilled home health (HH) utilization and clinical outcomes for persons with dementia (PwD). We sought to answer the following questions: (1) How is dementia defined and classified in the HH literature? (2) What associations have been observed between dementia status and patterns of HH utilization? (3) What associations have been observed between dementia status and HH outcomes?

methodsUsing Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and select relevant journals for quantitative studies conducted in the United States between 2000 and 2023 examining Medicare HH use and outcomes for PwD. We describe and compare approaches to classify dementia, identify findings related to HH utilization and outcomes supported by the preponderance of evidence, and comment on existing gaps and areas of ambiguity in the literature.

resultsThirty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Most used claims-based data to classify dementia, leveraged national data, and were limited to traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Studies found meaningful differences in HH utilization by dementia status; most notably, PwD were more likely to access HH without a preceding hospitalization, had longer lengths of stay, and incurred higher HH costs. Literature relating to clinical outcomes was more difficult to interpret, due to significant variation in study objectives, samples, and outcome measures which prompted more nuanced and even contradictory conclusions. There is a dearth of research identifying how specific HH care pathways (e.g., service types, visit frequency) impact outcomes for this patient population.

conclusionsThis review supports the understanding that PwD are a unique subpopulation of HH patients who require special attention in policy development and evaluation. Critical research is needed to examine clinical outcomes in PwD further to inform practice and improve care quality.

Indexed as

DementiaHome Care ServicesPatient Acceptance of Health CareAgedAged, 80 and overHumansMedicareUnited Statesdementiahome healthscoping reviewutilization

Identifiers

PMID39355968
PMCPMC11828687

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.