Geriatric Trauma Care Program for Living Alone Older Adults With Injuries

Patient Experience of Older Adults Living Alone With Injuries and Long-Term Effects of Geriatric Trauma Care Program for Living Alone Older Adults With Injuries

To examine the long-term effects of the Geriatric Trauma Care Program (GTCP) regarding pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Pain; Older Adults; Loneliness; Limb Injury; Geriatric; Geriatric Depression; Barthel Index
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Geriatric trauma care program

Detailed Description

Traumatic injuries among older adults represent a significant public health concern due to their potential to severely affect individuals' long-term physical, emotional, and social well-being. Older adults who experience traumatic injuries often face substantial challenges during recovery, particularly those living alone who may lack sufficient support systems, exacerbating their vulnerability to chronic health issues. Pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and diminished health-related quality of life are prevalent adverse outcomes following traumatic injuries, underscoring the critical need for effective, targeted care strategies to address these multidimensional impacts.

The Geriatric Trauma Care Program (GTCP) is a nurse practitioner-led, digitalized trauma care program designed to provide comprehensive and accessible intervention aimed at improving immediate trauma care outcomes and facilitating sustainable recovery among older adults. While short-term benefits of digitally supported, geriatric-focused trauma interventions have been documented, the long-term effectiveness of such programs, especially for older individuals who live alone, remains less understood. Consequently, examining the enduring impact of the GTCP is essential to determine its effectiveness in fostering sustained recovery and improving quality of life for this vulnerable population. This study aims to address this gap by evaluating the long-term effects of the GTCP on pain, functional disability, depression, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone. Findings from this research will provide valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers to enhance care delivery models, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately improve long-term outcomes for older adults recovering from traumatic injuries.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Bih-O Lee, PhD; Phone Number: 2625 07-3121101; Email: biholee@kmu.edu.tw
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Santo Imanuel Tonapa, PhD; Phone Number: 0981979212; Email: i.santonapa@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 807
    • Recruiting
    • Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. willing to join this study for three months
2. with limb injuries
3. living alone in a household
4. aged 65 years old or older
5. independent before a traumatic injury
6. having a smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. with an ISS greater than 16 (severe injuries)
2. having cognitive impairments
3. diagnosed with psychiatric illness

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; The control group will have the routine care only
Experimental: Geriatric Trauma Care Program; The experiment group will implement the Geriatric Trauma Care Program (GTCP) and routine care. The GTCP will be implemented through an E-book that includes six units of intervention for older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone.	Behavioral: Geriatric trauma care program; The experiment group will implement the Geriatric trauma care program (GTCP) and routine care. The GTCP will be implemented by a nurse practitioner and equipped with digitalized educational material, including six units of intervention for older adults with traumatic injuries who live alone.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain intensity	Measured by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale with the numbers 0-10, with 0 meaning no pain and 10 meaning the worst pain.	Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
Functional disability	The Barthel's Index consists of 30 items, ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater functional capacity.	Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
Depression	The Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form, which comprises 15 items scored on a two-point scale (0 = no, 1 = yes). It scores ranged from 0-15 with the higher indicated the more severe depression symptoms.	Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
Loneliness	The Elderly Loneliness Scale has eight items, with a higher score indicating more loneliness.	Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months
Health-related quality of life	The EuroQol-5D has five items with higher score indicated a worse health condition.	Day 1 at Hospital discharge, 1 month, and 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kaohsiung Medical University
• Collaborators: National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Bih-O Lee, PhD, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 27, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 21, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 30, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: older adults; loneliness; geriatric trauma; Limb injury
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: KMUHIRB-F(I)-20230043; NSTC113-2314-B-037-050-MY2-1 (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No