In-Touch Intervention_UK
Research type
Research Study
Full title
In-Touch: Implementation of a person-centred palliative care iNtervention To imprOve comfort, qUality of life and social engagement of people with advanced dementia in Care Homes
IRAS ID
353731
Contact name
Kevin Brazil
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN24994668
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 27 days
Research summary
People with advanced dementia are living and dying in nursing homes across Europe with unmet palliative care needs. Person-centred palliative care is advocated for people with advanced dementia, but this type of intervention often fails to undergo rigorous clinical effectiveness evaluation. We plan to develop and test a “high-touch” person-centred palliative care intervention which considers both care ‘in-the moment’ and planning for future needs based on two existing evidenced-based interventions. We call this the In-Touch intervention.
In-Touch is a complex, person-centred palliative care intervention where staff are trained to deliver In-Touch daily sessions to residents, and In-Touch family meetings with family. The intervention addresses the physical setting, group interaction, comfort assessment, sensory therapy, daily engagement & meaningful activities to reflect person’s life.
Staff in nursing homes randomised to the intervention arm will receive a layered training and education programme to support implementation and delivery of In-Touch within their nursing homes. They will be trained by an external facilitator (an experienced health care professional). Nursing homes randomised to the control group will deliver care as usual.The objective is to determine the effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of the In-Touch intervention for residents with moderately severe to severe dementia in nursing homes.
The primary outcome is resident discomfort after 3 months of receiving the intervention. Secondary outcomes for residents include Pain, Quality of Life, Agitation, Non-Cognitive symptoms of Dementia and physiological data (including pulse rate, skin electrodermal activity, sleep detection) recorded by a wireless wrist-worn device (Empathica EmbracePlus). Secondary outcome data collected from residents’ families includes quality of life, satisfaction with care and assessment of 6-month post-bereavement grief, if relevant. Nursing home staff outcomes include burnout, quality of life and job satisfaction.
Data to determine the acceptability, sustainability and cost effectiveness of In-Touch implementation will also be collected.REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
25/NI/0094
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion