Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The Effect of a Multicomponent Intervention on Quality of Life in Residents of Nursing Homes: A Randomized Controlled Trial (COSMOS).
To investigate if the multicomponent intervention of the COSMOS trial, combining communication, systematic pain management, medication review, and activities, improved quality of life (QoL) in nursing home patients with complex needs. ⋯ Temporarily, the QoL decreased in the intervention group, leading to our hypothesis that health care staff may be overwhelmed by the work-intensive COSMOS intervention period. However, the decrease reversed significantly during follow-up, indicating a potential learning effect. Further, the intervention group improved in ADL function and received less medication, and staff reported less distress and judged COSMOS as able to bring about clinically relevant change. This suggests that nonpharmacologic multicomponent interventions require long follow-up to ensure uptake and beneficial effects.
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Multicenter Study
Association Between End-of-Life Conversations in Nursing Homes and End-of-Life Care Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Less aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care has been observed when health care professionals discuss approaching EOL and preferences about life-sustaining treatments with nursing home (NH) residents or their families. We performed a comprehensive systematic review to evaluate the association between health care professionals-residents and health care professionals-family EOL conversations and EOL care outcomes. ⋯ This systematic review shows that EOL conversations promote palliative care. Structured conversations aimed at exploring NH resident preferences about EOL treatment should become routine. NH administrators should offer health care professionals regular training on EOL conversations, and resident-centered care that involves residents and their families in a shared decision-making process at EOL needs to be promoted.