Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents (MGU)

June 2, 2026 updated by: Klaus Faßbender, Universität des Saarlandes

Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Observational Before-After Study

This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase during which the MGU is implemented. The MGU provides advanced on-site diagnostics and telemedicine-supported specialist consultation within nursing homes.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents in Saarland, Germany. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase with MGU implementation in 46 nursing homes.

The MGU provides on-site advanced diagnostics (CT, X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and laboratory testing) supported by telemedicine consultation with hospital specialists. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics in the nursing home, with results communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.

Usual care involves hospital referral and in-hospital diagnostics. The intervention aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions by providing diagnostics and specialist input directly in the nursing home.

The primary outcome is hospital admissions per person-year. Secondary outcomes include mortality, functional and cognitive status, quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), complications, healthcare costs, and 30-day hospitalisation-free survival.

Eligible participants are nursing home residents with consent or proxy consent; those requiring immediate hospitalisation are excluded.

Data are obtained from routine care and medical records, MGU documentation, structured assessments, and follow-up. Multilevel Poisson regression and interrupted time series analysis will be used.

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Saarland (AZ 159-21) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

4907

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Germany
    • Saarland
      • Homburg, Saarland, Germany, 66421
        • Nursing Homes in Saarland

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Residents of participating nursing homes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Residents of participating nursing homes
  • Informed consent from participant or legal representative

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute life-threatening conditions requiring immediate hospitalisation

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Control Phase (Usual Care)
Usual care including general practitioner (GP) referral, hospital transport, and in-hospital diagnostics and treatment.
Intervention Phase (MGU)
On-site diagnostic evaluation using the Mobile Geriatric Unit with broad diagnostic capabilities followed by teleconsultation and further treatment by the general practitioner.
Other: Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)
The MGU is a mobile diagnostic unit providing on-site diagnostics in nursing homes. It includes a 32-slice (64 slice reconstruction) whole body CT scanner, digital X-ray, portable ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and point-of-care laboratory diagnostics. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics on-site. Results are transmitted via telemedicine to hospital specialists and communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hospital admissions per person-year
Time Frame: Up to 24 months
Number of inpatient hospital admissions, excluding elective admissions.
Up to 24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mortality
Time Frame: Day 180
Mortality
Day 180
Functional status; mobility: modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Time Frame: Day 180

Modified Rankin Scale (mRS):

0: No symptoms

  1. No significant disability
  2. Slight disability
  3. Moderate disability
  4. Moderately severe disability
  5. Severe disability
  6. Death

Minimum value: 0 (best outcome) Maximum value: 6 (worst outcome)
Day 180
Functional status; frailty: Clinical Frailty Scale
Time Frame: Day 180

Clinical Frailty Scale (as according to Moorhouse and Rockwood*):

  1. very fit
  2. well
  3. managing well
  4. apparently vulnerable
  5. mildly frail
  6. moderately frail
  7. severely frail
  8. very severely frail
  9. terminally ill

Minimum value: 1 (best outcome) Maximum value: 9 (worst outcome)

* Moorhouse P, Rockwood K. Frailty and its quantitative clinical evaluation. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2012; 42: 333-40
Day 180
Cognitive status
Time Frame: Day 180
The cognitive performance assessment is carried out through subjective evaluation by the nursing home's nursing staff at day 180.
Day 180
Quality of life (EQ-5D-5L)
Time Frame: Day 180
EQ-5D-5L
Day 180
Healthcare costs
Time Frame: Day 360
Hospitalisation, transport, and MGU costs
Day 360
30-day hospitalisation-free survival
Time Frame: Day 30
Hospitalisation-free survival at day 30
Day 30

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Universität des Saarlandes

Collaborators

DIKOM Consortium

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Klaus Fassbender, Professor, Universität Des Saarlandes

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 2, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MGU

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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