Extrait

Background and study aims When we don’t drink enough water for our needs, we become dehydrated. A number of studies have shown that dehydration can cause disability and even death in people of all ages. In older people, it can cause them to fall or become confused. It can also lead to poorer wound healing, infections, bad reactions to any drugs they are taking (drug toxicity) and a general poorer quality of life. Being able to quickly notice the signs of dehydration in older people, prevent it and treat it in the community would be beneficial to themselves and reduce NHS costs. Being able to measure dehydration, by assessing something called blood osmolality (the amount of salts and water in the blood) is not often available in residential care homes. We have created a simple tool to predict when a person is becoming dehydrated (a decision tree of tests). Our earlier study, DRIE, interviewed 200 older people living in care homes, assessed their hydration status and carried out a range of tests and assessments that might help to find out how hydrated they are. We analysed these data on potential signs, conditions and tests, and found that no single test or sign was capable of diagnosing dehydration on its own. It is from these results that we have made several possible decision trees that would be used to identify dehydration. Decision trees can accurately predict how hydrated someone is without the need for a lot of tests for the person themselves. This study (DRIE 2) will test the best two decision trees on another 200 older people living in residential care homes. Who can participate? People aged 65 or over, who are living in residential care (care homes, nursing homes and mixed homes) including people with dementia. What does the study involve? This study will test how well the best two decision trees predict dehydration in older people in care homes. We will test for dehydration by measuring blood osmolality, carry out all the assessments needed for the decision trees and collect relevant health and demographic information. We will use these data to assess how accurately our diagnostic trees are at identifying whether a person is dehydrated. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Benefits: The knowledge that you are helping other older people by helping us to recognise dehydration and a £10 voucher or equivalent for attending each of the two interviews. Risks: The blood test could be slightly painful, and could cause bleeding or bruising. Where is the study run from? A number of residential care homes on Norfolk or Suffolk (UK). When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? From May 2014 to end of April 2015 Who is funding the study? The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK Who is the main contact? Dr Lee Hooper [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Water-loss dehydration, signified by raised serum osmolality (>300 mOsm/kg)

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn