NightCAP: Improving Night-time care and reducing hypnotic drug use
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving night-time care and reducing hypnotic drug use in people living with dementia in care homes (NightCAP): A randomised trial
IRAS ID
268906
Contact name
Anne Corbett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study seeks to address the major unmet need presented by night-time care for people living with dementia in care homes. 60% of people with dementia in care homes have sleep disturbance, characterised by fragmented or poor-quality sleep. Through, NightCAP, a person-centred night-time care training programme for care staff we aim to improve overall management of these symptoms and reduce the use of harmful hypnotic drugs for the treatment of sleep disturbance. NightCAP was developed with the aim of upskilling the care home workforce to deliver good quality night-time care by providing care staff with skills and knowledge that align with evidence-based good care practices, good sleep hygiene recommendations and person-centred care.
This will be a seven-month cluster-randomised trial delivered in 24 care homes in the UK. Participants will be people with dementia and sleep disturbance, as well as the staff who care for them. Homes will be randomly allocated to receive either NightCAP or optimised usual care. NightCAP consists of three key elements: personalised night-time care planning (supported staff training and implementation), structured sleep hygiene measures (staff training) and hypnotic drug review protocol (staff training and GP fact sheet). The primary outcome will be sleep disturbance behaviour the end of the intervention, with an additional follow up time-point at four months post intervention.
Secondary outcomes will include neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, quality of life, hypnotic drug use and falls in residents, staff attitude and mental health, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. This will provide robust evidence to support guidance on night-time care and improving hypnotic drug prescribing, both of which are major unmet needs in the care of people with dementia. The study will be the basis of a definitive efficacy trial of an optimised NightCAP programme.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
21/WA/0174
Date of REC Opinion
1 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion