SCAN Memory Program Evaluation Study (SMPES)

VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Dementia

Treatments: Behavioral: Dementia Care Management

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01182987

SRC 09-002

Details and patient eligibility

About

The SCAN Memory Program Evaluation study is an evaluation of a randomized controlled trial intervention consisting of a care management program for cognitively-impaired health plan members and for their informal/family caregivers. The program includes collaboration between the health plan, partnering medical groups, and community organizations.

Program activities include: 1) telephonic-structured assessments with informal caregivers conducted by SCAN Memory Program care managers; 2) problem identification as a result of these assessments; and 3) pre-established protocols and procedures for problem resolution. ACCESS, the prototype for the SCAN Memory Program, was developed and tested in San Diego County and was very successful in helping affected patients and their caregivers.

Enrollment: 500 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Health plan member eligibility includes having a visit-based ICD-9 diagnostic code for dementia or a dementia-specific medication (including donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine) within administrative data any time prior to data inquiry for potential subjects. The health plan member must have a caregiver who can communicate by telephone and though that person might also be a health plan member, health plan membership for caregivers is not required. All subjects must be living in the community and if in a nursing facility, this must be for rehabilitation or respite care but not for long term care. Caregivers must be able to communicate in English or Spanish.

Exclusion Criteria: Person with dementia whose potential participation is declined by their physician. Those who do not have a family or informal caregiver cannot participate and caregivers who do no have telephone access or the capacity to consent to research evaluation are excluded. Patients who reside in nursing facilities as permanent residents are not eligible.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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500 participants in 2 patient groups

Dementia care management

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients and family caregivers will be offered dementia care management, which includes detailed comprehensive assessment, education, counseling, referrals to community agencies, collaboration with medical providers and frequent telephone follow-up

Treatment:

Behavioral: Dementia Care Management

Usual care

No Intervention group

Description:

Patients and care family care givers will receive usual support and medical care offered by the health plan.