Journal of the American Geriatrics Society最新文献

Background: The effect of statin therapy on kidney function among older adults is unclear.

Objectives: To examine the association between statin use and changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), positive or negative, in an older adult cohort with versus without chronic kidney disease (CKD) at baseline.

Methods: This analysis included 18,056 participants aged ≥65 years with versus without CKD at baseline in a randomized trial of low-dose aspirin, who had no prior cardiovascular events, major physical disability, or dementia initially. Outcome measures included eGFR and UACR. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the associations of baseline statin use versus no use with eGFR and UACR changes over time. The inverse-probability of treatment-weighting technique was used for all analyses to address confounding by indication due to the lack of randomization in treatment assignment.

Results: Statin use was not associated with change in eGFR, UACR, or incident CKD in participants with or without CKD at baseline (p > 0.05 for all associations). Subgroup analyses found no significant interactions between statin and age, sex, diabetes, country, and frailty status on any of the study outcomes.

Conclusions: Among adults ≥65 years of age, with and without CKD, statin therapy was not associated with improved or worsened kidney function. This data suggests that the decision to use versus not use statins in this population may be ideally guided by factors other than kidney health.

Introduction: Older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) experience higher rates of medical comorbidities, mortality, hospital readmissions, and total healthcare spending when compared with Medicare beneficiaries without SMI. Although telehealth provides an opportunity to overcome barriers to behavioral healthcare access, older adults face unique challenges when accessing and utilizing telehealth services. We present Author Health's care model, which integrates virtual-first behavioral health care with an interdisciplinary approach to health-related social needs (HRSN) screening and intervention in older adults.

Methods: We launched an innovative behavioral healthcare delivery model in collaboration with primary care for Medicare Advantage recipients with SMI, substance use disorders (SUD), and dementia. All patients completed an intake with an MD/NP and were offered screening for HRSN at entry using the Accountable Health Communities HRSN tool. Primary diagnosis was assigned and categorized into SMI/SUD/dementia and non-SMI. Logistic regression was used to quantify the odds of food, housing, and transportation insecurity explained by SMI/SUD/dementia versus non-SMI behavioral health conditions.

Results: A total of 2301 patients completed an intake from January 2023 to March 2024. Moderate/severe depression (40%) was the most common primary target condition at intake, followed by dementia/Alzheimer's disease (12%) and bipolar disorder (5%). The rates of housing insecurity, food insecurity, and transportation insecurity were 27%, 30%, and 21%, respectively. Within our sample of Medicare Advantage participants in Florida, patients with SMI/SUD/dementia were 1.42 times (p < 0.05) and 1.58 times (p < 0.01) more likely to report housing insecurity and food insecurity, respectively, when compared with those with mild/moderate behavioral health conditions.

Conclusion: Author Health provides a blueprint for behavioral health services that remove barriers and provide tenacious, consistent, and whole-person virtual-first behavioral health care tailored to the unique needs of older adults. Our sample of Medicare Advantage participants in Florida suggests SMI/SUD/dementia may be a predictor for HRSN independent of socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity.

Background: Individual chronic conditions have been linked to kidney function decline; however, the role of multimorbidity (the presence of ≥2 conditions) and multimorbidity patterns remains unclear.

Methods: A total of 3094 individuals from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) were followed for 15 years. Multimorbidity was operationalized as the number of chronic conditions and multimorbidity patterns identified using latent class analysis (LCA). Joint models and Cox regression models were used to explore the associations between multimorbidity, and subsequent absolute and relative (≥25% decline from baseline) changes, respectively, in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated using the creatinine-based Berlin Initiative Study equation.

Results: Mean age of the sample was 73.9, and 87% had multimorbidity. There was an independent dose-response relationship between the number of chronic conditions, and absolute (β [95% confidence interval, CI] = -0.05 [-0.07; -0.03]) and relative (hazard ratio, HR [95% CI] = 1.23 [1.17; 1.29]) declines in eGFR. Five patterns of multimorbidity were identified. The Unspecific, low burden pattern had the lowest morbidity burden and was used as the reference category. The Unspecific, high burden, and Cardiometabolic patterns showed accelerated absolute (β [95% CI] = -0.15 [-0.26; -0.05] and -0.77 [-0.98; -0.55], respectively) and relative (HR [95% CI] = 1.45 [1.09; 1.92] and 3.45 [2.27; 5.23], respectively) declines. Additionally, the Cognitive and Sensory pattern showed accelerated relative decline (HR [95% CI] = 1.53 [1.02; 2.31]). No associations were found for the Psychiatric and Respiratory pattern.

Conclusion: Multimorbidity is strongly associated with accelerated kidney function decline in older age. Individuals with cardiometabolic multimorbidity exhibit a particularly increased risk. Increased monitoring and timely interventions may preserve kidney function and reduce cardiovascular risks in individuals presenting with conditions that are characteristic of high-risk multimorbidity patterns.

Introduction: Dementia affects one in three older adults over age 85 and individuals with dementia constitute the fastest growing population of patients entering hospice care. While cognitive impairment is the hallmark of dementia, behavioral symptoms are reported in nearly all patients with advanced dementia, contributing to both the complexity of end-of-life care and caregiver burden.

Methods: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with prescribing hospice clinicians and caregivers of patients living with dementia who previously received hospice services. Interviews included questions regarding common behavioral symptoms observed at end of life, side effects of benzodiazepine and antipsychotic medications, perceived effectiveness of medications used, and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies. Data from audio-recorded sessions were transcribed, coded to identify relevant concepts, and reduced to determine major themes.

Results: A total of 23 hospice clinicians and 20 family caregivers participated in interviews. Agitation, including physical and verbal aggression, irritability, and anger, was identified as the most concerning behavioral symptom of dementia at end of life; when discussing agitation, clinicians focused on the safety of the patient living with dementia and others, while caregivers were concerned because they perceived it as a change in personality of their loved one. When using antipsychotics and benzodiazepines to address behavioral symptoms, caregivers viewed sedation as a concerning side effect, while clinicians were less concerned and noted this as an anticipated outcome of treatment. Overall, family caregivers perceived medications as more effective than clinicians. Finally, non-pharmacologic interventions are generally preferred over pharmacologic treatments, but were reported as difficult to implement.

Conclusions: Study findings can help to inform dialogue between hospice clinicians and caregivers regarding anticipated behavioral changes, as well as risks, benefits, and limitations of medication treatment options for behavioral symptom management. Further work is needed to understand the appropriate level of use of psychotropic medications for end-of-life dementia care.

Background: The geographic distribution of frailty and social deprivation, and their association with mortality in the United States, have not been well studied.

Methods: We estimated claims-based frailty index (CFI) (range: 0-1) and area-level social deprivation index (SDI) (range: 0-100) in a 5% random sample of 1,207,323 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years and older. We examined the prevalence of frailty (defined as CFI ≥ 0.25) and the mean SDI and estimated their correlation by state and county. The association of frailty and social deprivation with one-year mortality was estimated using logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, and dual eligibility status.

Results: The study population had the following characteristics: mean age of 76 years, 56% female, 10.3% with frailty, and 24.0% with high social deprivation (SDI ≥ 67). The correlation between frailty and social deprivation was weak (ρ = 0.39 by state and 0.28 by county). The risk of death for the total study population was 4.5%. The age, sex, dual eligibility, and SDI-adjusted risk of death for robust, pre-frail, and frail individuals was 1.8%, 4.4%, and 13.3%, respectively. The age, sex, dual eligibility-adjusted risk of death for low, medium, and high SDI regardless of frailty was 4.4%, 4.7%, and 4.6%, respectively. In robust beneficiaries, the adjusted risk of death for low, medium, and high social deprivation was 1.6%, 1.9% (odds ratio [OR]: 1.21 [95% confidence interval, CI: 1.15, 1.27]), and 2.0% (1.31 [1.24, 1.38]), respectively, whereas in beneficiaries with frailty, the corresponding risk by social deprivation was 13.4%, 13.7% (1.03 [0.99, 1.07]), and 12.9% (0.96 [0.92, 1.00]).

Conclusion: This study identifies regions of the United States that may be most vulnerable from frailty and social deprivation. These findings emphasize the significance of frailty and social deprivation on mortality and the need for community-based preventative health programs such as frailty screening to improve health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries living with frailty.

Background: University of Utah Health (UUH) is an academic medical center that achieved "committed to care excellence" in age-friendly care in 2021 and has a long-standing culture of quality improvement central to a learning health system. University of California San Francisco (UCSF) developed electronic health record (EHR) documentation metrics for inpatient assessment of the 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility) based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's recommended care practice for an Age-Friendly Healthcare System. In partnership with UCSF, we replicated the assessment and action EHR metrics with local adaptations for each of the 4Ms at UUH.

Methods: The UCSF team shared 4Ms documentation metrics and Structured Query Language code used to assess 4Ms care at UCSF. At UUH, this code was adapted for a different relational database management system and local clinical context. We assessed 4Ms care, individual M, and composite measures of all 4Ms, for all patients aged 65 and older admitted to UU Hospital between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021. We conducted a clinical validation of individual patient cases to confirm accuracy of 4Ms queries.

Results: In the 3-year study period, 16,489 qualifying patients, mean age 74.2, were admitted to UU Hospital in a total of 25,070 admissions with mean length of stay of 6.08 days. We were able to replicate 14 of the 16 EHR metrics of individual 4Ms developed at UCSF and five composite measures. For the composite measure addressing completeness of 4Ms care, 50% of patient encounters had all 4Ms administered during their encounter.

Conclusion: Indicators of the completeness of 4Ms care can be measured using EHR data to validate implementation of the 4Ms at multiple academic medical centers. Key lessons to support future scaled-up assessments include the importance of adapting EHR measures to local activities and involving expert data analysts.

Background: The development of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies has changed the landscape of care for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The potential for financial conflicts of interest (COIs) for physicians related to these medications is unknown.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of open payments from industry to physicians working in memory clinics was conducted. The US News Best Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery was used to identify the top 50 ranked hospitals. For each hospital, a google search was performed to identify any affiliated memory clinic. A list of physicians practicing in the memory clinic was identified from public websites. Physician specialty (neurology, geriatrics, psychiatry, or other) was abstracted. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments database was used to search for general industry payments to each physician for the years 2020-2023. Mean and median yearly payments and number of payments were calculated. Payments from all pharmaceutical companies as well as the pharmaceutical companies responsible for lecanemab (Biogen and Eisai) and donanemab (Eli Lilly and Company/Lilly USA) were abstracted.

Results: Thirty-one memory clinics with 244 total physicians were identified; 173 were neurologists, 37 psychiatrists, 30 geriatricians, and 4 other specialists. Mean one-year payment was $1562 (SD 4021) for neurologists, $974 (SD 5153) for geriatricians, and $460 (SD 1932) for psychiatrists. Forty neurologists (40/173, 23%) received mean yearly payments of ≥$1000, compared with one geriatrician (1/30, 3.3%) and two psychiatrists (2/37, 5.4%). Payments from Biogen, Eisai, and Eli Lilly and Company/Lilly USA comprised 51% of general payments.

Conclusions: Most physicians working in a sample of memory clinics received no or low amounts of general payments. Neurologists were more likely to receive general payments from industry. Payments from Biogen, Eisai, and Eli Lilly and Company/Lilly USA were substantial. Future work should evaluate the relationship between industry payments and anti-amyloid prescribing patterns.

Background: Deprescribing, the process of identifying and discontinuing potentially harmful or unnecessary medications, is a key component of caring for older persons. Communication is central to deprescribing. This study's objectives were to create a conceptual framework for deprescribing communication and to apply the framework to evaluate current and potential uses of communication in deprescribing.

Methods: The consensus development working group comprises an international set of 14 experts in geriatrics, clinical pharmacology, communication, community outreach, and care partner stakeholders. Critical literature reviews describe (a) components of communication used in deprescribing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and (b) the content of studies examining deprescribing communication, knowledge, attitudes, and values.

Results: The framework demonstrates that communication extends beyond interactions between clinicians and patients. Communication can occur at the health system level, involving methods such as patient-specific feedback materials and academic detailing. Communication can also occur at the community level, involving entities such as pharmaceutical companies, the internet, community groups, and guidelines. Evaluation of the summary of RCTs against the framework demonstrates that intervention studies overwhelmingly focus on communication in individual clinical and health system-based encounters. Evaluation of the summary of observational studies demonstrates that there has been little study of the communication methods and styles themselves.

Conclusions: Potentially untapped opportunities exist to expand the use of different approaches for communication in deprescribing interventions, particularly in the community setting. More studies are required to elucidate and personalize the best content and style of deprescribing communication.