Browsing by Author "Lin, Ming-Tsan"

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Effect of a Modified Hospital Elder Life Program on Delirium and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial
(2017-09-01)
Chen, Cheryl Chia-Hui
;
Li, Hsiu-Ching
;
Liang, Jin-Tung
;
Lai, I-Rue
;
Purnomo, Jerry Dwi Trijoyo
IMPORTANCE Older patients undergoing abdominal surgery commonly experience preventable delirium, which extends their hospital length of stay (LOS). OBJECTIVE To examine whether a modified Hospital Elder Life Program (mHELP) reduces incident delirium and LOS in older patients undergoing abdominal surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cluster randomized clinical trial of 577 eligible patients enrolled 377 older patients (>= 65 years of age) undergoing gastrectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy, and colectomy at a 2000-bed urban medical center in Taipei, Taiwan, from August 1, 2009, through October 31, 2012. Consecutive older patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery with expected LOS longer than 6 days were enrolled, with a recruitment rate of 65.3%. Participants were cluster randomized by room to receive the mHELP or usual care. INTERVENTIONS The intervention (implemented by an mHELP nurse) consisted of 3 protocols administered daily: orienting communication, oral and nutritional assistance, and early mobilization. Intervention group participants received all 3 mHELP protocols postoperatively, in addition to usual care, as soon as they arrived in the inpatient ward and until hospital discharge. Adherence to protocols was tracked daily. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Presence of delirium was assessed daily by 2 trained nurses who were masked to intervention status by using the Confusion Assessment Method. Data on LOS were abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS Of 577 eligible patients, 377 (65.3%) were enrolled and randomly assigned to the mHELP (n = 197; mean [SD] age, 74.3 [5.8] years; 111 [56.4%] male) or control (n = 180; mean [SD] age, 74.8 [6.0] years; 103 [57.2%] male) group. Postoperative delirium occurred in 13 of 196 (6.6%) mHELP participants vs 27 of 179 (15.1%) control individuals, representing a relative risk of 0.44 in the mHELP group (95% CI, 0.23-0.83; P = .008). Intervention group participants received the mHELP for a median of 7 days (interquartile range, 6-10 days) and had a shorter median LOS (12.0 days) than control participants (14.0 days) (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE For older patients undergoing abdominal surgery who received the mHELP, the odds of delirium were reduced by 56% and LOS was reduced by 2 days. Our findings support using the mHELP to advance postoperative care for older patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.
Modified Hospital Elder Life Program: Effects on Abdominal Surgery Patients
(2011-08-01)
Chen, Cheryl Chia-Hui
;
Lin, Ming-Tsan
;
Tien, Yu-Wen
;
Yen, Chung-Jen
;
Huang, Guan-Hua
BACKGROUND: Postsurgical functional decline is common in older patients and can lead to frailty and increased mortality. Comprehensive interventions such as the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) have been shown to be effective, but modifying the HELP to include only 3 key interventions might prove cost-effective for surgical patients. STUDY DESIGN: Consecutive patients from August 2007 through April 2009 (n = 179) were enrolled if they had undergone common elective abdominal surgical procedures, such as gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, and Whipple surgery. A modified HELP intervention consisting of early mobilization, nutritional assistance, and therapeutic (cognitive) activities implemented by a trained nurse was introduced on a surgical ward in May 2008. Patients enrolled before May 2008 received usual care and served as controls (n = 77). Those enrolled after the modified HELP intervention constituted the experimental group (n = 102). Changes in performance of activities of daily living, nutritional status, and cognitive function between admission and discharge were the primary end points. RESULTS: Independent of baseline functions, education, periampullary diagnosis, comorbidity, surgical procedure, and duration of surgery, patients in the HELP group declined significantly less on activities of daily living performance and nutritional status (p < 0.001) than controls. The delirium rate was also significantly lower in the HELP group (0%) than in the control group (16.7%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The modified HELP intervention effectively reduced older surgical patients' functional decline and delirium rates by hospital discharge. This program, conducted by a trained nurse, was not costly but did require commitment and ongoing cooperation between physician and nursing leadership to achieve compliance with the protocols. (J Am Coll Surg 2011;213:245-252. (C) 2011 by the American College of Surgeons)
Pre-surgical Geriatric Syndromes, Frailty, and Risks for Postoperative Delirium in Older Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery: Prevalence and Red Flags
(2015-05-01)
Chen, Cheryl Chia-Hui
;
Lin, Ming-Tsan
;
Liang, Jin-Tung
;
Chen, Chun-Min
;
Yen, Chung-Jen
We sought to identify and evaluate red flags for pre-surgical geriatric conditions (geriatric syndromes, frailty, and risks for postoperative delirium) in older patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Older individuals (a parts per thousand yen65 years) undergoing major elective gastrointestinal surgery from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled and assessed preoperatively. Participants (N = 379; mean age = 74.5 +/- 5.9 years) primarily underwent colorectal (54.3 %), gastric (21.9 %), and pancreatobiliary (12.6 %) surgery. Overall, 30.9 % had existing geriatric syndromes, 26.7 % were frail, and 22.8 % had > 3 risk factors for postoperative delirium. The largest proportion (45.7 %) presented with at least one geriatric condition. Patients with or without geriatric conditions were discriminated with adequate sensitivity (67 %), specificity (84 %), and positive predictive value (77 %) by eight red flags: age a parts per thousand yen75 years (OR, 2.86; P < 0.001), eating soft food (OR, 3.63; P = 0.001), reported hypertension (OR, 2.8; P = 0.001), weight loss > 3 kg (OR, 4.79; P < 0.001), fair-to-weak grip strength (OR, 2.53; P = 0.001), sleeplessness (OR, 2.57; P = 0.001), no-better-than-peer perceived health (OR, 1.88; P = 0.022), and short-term inability to recall two of three common words (OR, 1.81; P = 0.025). Eight red flags covered as part of history and physical examination are well suited to screen patients for geriatric conditions indicating the need for preoperative geriatric assessments and optimization.
Three Nurse-administered Protocols Reduce Nutritional Decline and Frailty in Older Gastrointestinal Surgery Patients: A Cluster Randomized Trial
(2019-05-01)
Chen, Cheryl Chia-Hui
;
Yang, Yi-Ting
;
Lai, I-Rue
;
Lin, Been-Ren
;
Yang, Ching-Yao
Objective: To evaluate the effects of the modified Hospital Elder Life Program (mHELP) comprising 3 nurse-administered protocols in older patients undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. Design: Cluster randomized trial. Setting: Two 36-bed GI wards at a university-affiliated medical center in Taiwan. Participants: Older patients (>= 65 years, N = 377) were recruited if they were scheduled for elective GI surgery with an expected length of hospital stay > 6 days. After transferring to the GI ward after surgery, participants were randomly assigned to the mHELP or control group (1: 1) by room rather than individually because most patient units are double-or triple-occupancy rooms. Intervention: The mHELP protocols (early mobilization, oral and nutritional assistance, and orienting communication) were administered daily with usual care by a trained nurse until hospital discharge. The control group received usual care only. Measures: Outcomes were in-hospital nutritional decline, measured by body weight and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores, and Fried's frailty phenotype. Return of GI motility was examined as a potential mechanism contributing to observed outcomes. Results: Participants (mean age = 74.5 years; 56.8% male) primarily underwent colorectal (56.5%), gastric (21.2%), and pancreatobiliary (13.8%) surgery. Participants who received the mHELP [for a median of 7 days (interquartile range = 6-10 days)] had significantly lower in-hospital weight loss and decline in MNA scores (weight -2.1 vs -4.0 lb, P = .002; score -3.2 vs -4.0, P =.03) than the control group. The mHELP group also had significantly lower rates of incident frailty during hospitalization (12.0% vs 21.7%, P = .022), and persistent frailty (50.0% vs 92.9%, P = .03). Participants in the mHELP group had trends toward an accelerated return of GI motility. Conclusion and Implications: The mHELP effectively reduced nutritional decline, prevented new frailty, and promoted recovery of frailty present before admission. These nurse-administered protocols might be useful in other settings, including conditions managed at home or in nursing facilities. (C) 2018 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.