Interprofessional Dementia Care: Redistribution of Tasks Between Physicians and Qualified Nurses in Primary Care

Detailed Summary

Currently, around 1.7 million people with dementia live in Germany. The number of new cases per year is estimated to be around 244,000. At this time, no curative treatment for dementia exists. The progression of the disease results in high needs for care. Only a minority among People with Dementia (PwD) receive needs-based treatment and directive-compliant care. Previous studies found that more than 95% of PwD have an open need for care. The increase in chronically and multimorbid impaired patients leads to an increased number of patients in primary care. Particularly in rural regions, innovative care concepts based on a redistribution of tasks between specialized nurses and doctors could help to guarantee high-value care at all times. Nursing care can be expanded with regards to tasks and competencies, which is thought to increase the attractiveness of the nursing profession. Unfortunately, there are currently no scientific studies on the effectiveness and impact of such care concepts in Germany. The Aim of this study is to implement a structured care concept for the reallocation of tasks between general practitioners (GPs) and nurses and to evaluate its effectiveness on the living and care situation of people with dementia living at home. "InDePendent" is a multicenter, cluster-randomized, controlled intervention study with a waiting-control group. Randomization is carried out at the level of the participating GPs in a ratio of 1:2 (intervention group : waiting-control group).

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions