Objective: The GERONTACCESS trial evaluated the utility and cost-effectiveness of a gerontological telemedicine (TLM) programme for preventing unplanned hospitalisation of residents living in nursing homes (NHs) in regions lacking medical facilities and/or qualified medical providers ("medical deserts").
Design: GERONTACCESS was a 12-month, multicentre, prospective cluster-randomised trial conducted in NHs. The intervention group underwent TLM assessments every 3 months. The control group received the usual care. In both groups, comprehensive on-site assessments were conducted at baseline and the final visit. Care requirements were documented throughout the study.
Setting and participants: NH residents aged ≥ 60 years with multiple chronic diseases.
Methods: The study outcomes were the proportion of patients who experienced avoidable and unplanned hospitalisation, and the incremental cost savings per quality-adjusted life years from baseline to the 12-month follow-up.
Results: Of the 426 randomised participants (mean ± standard deviation age, 87.2 ± 7.6 years; 311 [73.0%] women), 23.4% in the intervention group and 32.5% in the control group experienced unplanned hospitalisation (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43 to 0.97; p = 0.034). Each avoided hospitalisation in the intervention group saved $US 3,846.
Conclusions and implications: The results of GERONTACCESS revealed that our gerontological, preventative TLM program significantly reduced unplanned hospitalisations. This innovative intervention limited disease progression and promoted a healthy lifestyle among NH residents.
Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02816177, registered June 28, 2016.
Keywords: Hospital readmission; Hospitalisation; Multimorbidity; Nursing home; Prevention; Telehealth; Telemedicine.
© 2022. The Author(s).