Multicomponent Program to Reduce Functional Decline in Frail Elderly People: A Cluster Controlled Trial

Background: The increasing number of community-dwelling frail elderly people poses a challenge to general practice. We evaluated the effectiveness of a general practitioner–led extensive, multicomponent program integrating cure, care, and welfare for the prevention of functional decline.

Methods: We performed a cluster controlled trial in 12 general practices in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Community-dwelling frail elderly people aged ≥70 years were identified with the EASY-Care two-step older persons screening instrument. In 6 general practices, 287 frail elderly received care according to the CareWell primary care program. This consisted of proactive care planning, case management, medication reviews, and multidisciplinary team meetings with a general practitioner, practice and/or community nurse, elderly care physician, and social worker. In another 6 general practices, 249 participants received care as usual. The primary outcome was independence in functioning during (instrumental) activities of daily living (Katz-15 index). Secondary outcomes were quality of life [EuroQol (EQ5D+C) instrument], mental health and health-related social functioning (36-item RAND Short Form survey instrument), institutionalization, hospitalization, and mortality. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 12 months, and were analyzed with linear mixed-model analyses.

Results: A total of 204 participants (71.1%) in the intervention group and 165 participants (66.3%) in the control group completed the study. No differences between groups regarding independence in functioning and secondary outcomes were found.

Conclusion: We found no evidence for the effectiveness of a multifaceted integrated care program in the prevention of adverse outcomes in community-dwelling frail elderly people. Large-scale implementation of this program is not advocated.