Frailty in Rural Primary Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparing frailty care pathways in Rural Primary Care: a feasibility study
IRAS ID
283450
Contact name
Marco Arkesteijn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aberystwyth University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
GPs are always looking at ways to improve the care of older people and ways to prevent older people from losing their independence. Pro-active provision of support often involves lifestyle advice and is a potentially important aspect of that, as it supports older people before acute care is needed. It’s preventative caring, rather than reactive caring. But, implementing pro-active care is hampered by the high current workload of acute care, the uncertainty of ‘what works’ and whether patients are responsive to pro-active care plans. This project will explore different ways of providing pro-active support to older people who could be at risk of losing their independence and requiring frequent acute care. The benefits of pro-active care are arguably the greatest in these individuals.
Participants will be patients of various GP surgeries. After volunteering to take part, they will be randomly allocated to receive either a new form of care, or continue to receive their usual care. Those receiving a new form of pro-active care will be monitored and compared to those receiving usual care. Participants will undergo a baseline assessment of their level of daily functioning (including strength, walking, physical activity, well-being), which will be repeated after 3 and 12 months.
It is hoped that the new form of care will ultimately reduce acute care requirements in these participants and improve their well-being and daily functioning, be less costly than current care (early investment that pays off in a year) and makes patients feel more empowered and independent. If successful, the project would help develop new strategies that GPs can use in the (pro-active) care of older people.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0224
Date of REC Opinion
24 Aug 2020
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion