To investigate effects of a novel dementia care coordination program on health services utilization.
Data Sources/Study Setting
A total of 303 community‐dwelling adults aged ≥70 with a cognitive disorder in Baltimore, Maryland (2008–2011).
Single‐blind evaluating efficacy of an 18‐month care coordination intervention delivered through community‐based nonclinical care coordinators, supported by an interdisciplinary clinical team.
Data Collection/Extraction Methods
Study partners reported acute care/inpatient, outpatient, and home‐ and community‐based service utilization at baseline, 9, and 18 months.
From baseline to 18 months, there were no significant group differences in acute care/inpatient or total outpatient services use, although intervention participants had significantly increased outpatient dementia/mental health visits from 9 to 18 months ( = .04) relative to controls. Home and community‐based support service use significantly increased from baseline to 18 months in the intervention compared to control ( = .005).
While this dementia care coordination program did not impact acute care/inpatient services utilization, it increased use of dementia‐related outpatient medical care and nonmedical supportive community services, a combination that may have helped participants remain at home longer. Future care model modifications that emphasize delirium, falls prevention, and behavior management may be needed to influence inpatient service use.
