March 1, 2025
Author: Erin Luers
IMPACT community members seek improvements in post-acute care in SNFs
IMPACT community members, Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN, and Laura Hanson, MD, MPH share the results of their recent pilot pragmatic trial which was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23NR017663 and the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation, New York.
The trial explores the feasibility of implementing a palliative care intervention during post-acute care to improve outcomes and reduce the need for rehospitalizations.
The two-group, multisite feasibility pilot pragmatic clinical trial, which was conducted at 12 SNFs co-located in continuing care retirement communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States, evaluated the feasibility of implementing the primary palliative care in post-acute care (PPC-PAC) intervention in the post-acute care skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting.
Implementation of the PPC-PAC intervention proved feasible and acceptable among older adults and clinicians. Future research is needed to focus on testing the effectiveness of PPC-PAC and explore strategies for optimal intervention implementation and SNF staff engagement.
Read the full article here.
Niznik Featured in The Washington Post on Sleep Aids and Dementia Risk
Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, IMPACT Patient and Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core member and Assistant Professor at The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, shared insights with The Washington Post about the complex relationship between sleep aids and dementia risk. Dr. Niznik’s perspective highlights the need for careful consideration when using these medications, particularly in relation to cognitive health.
Read the full article at https://wapo.st/4jQLcAO
Improving Advance Care Planning for Seriously Ill Primary Care Patients: UC Health Care Planning Study
January 2025 - In Grand Rounds 52, Rebecca Sudore, MD, and Anne Walling, MD, PhD, present on "Improving Advance Care Planning (ACP) for Seriously Ill Primary Care Patients: UC Health Care Planning Study". They discuss the evolving ACP definition and research, along with lessons learned from their ACP PCORI pragmatic randomized control trial.
Speakers
Rebecca Sudore, MD
Professor of Medicine,
University of California,
San Francisco
Anne Walling, MD, PhD
Professor-in-Residence,
University of California,
Los Angeles
Learning Objectives
- The Evolving ACP Definition & Research
- Lessons for an ACP PCORI Pragmatic RCT
- Identifying the cohort with validated algorithms
- Constructing the ACP EMR Intervention Infrastructure
- Healthcare navigator arm
- Trial outcomes: NLP
- Implementation Lessons
COVID Vaccination among Medicare Beneficiaries: Findings from an IMPACT Supplement
December 2024 - In Grand Rounds 51, Drs. Kaley Hayes, PharmD, PhD & Daniel Harris, PhD, MPH discuss the COVid VAXines Effects on the Aged (COVVAXAGE) database, which was the first project with NIA LINKAGE program (external data linkage to CMS data in NIA-funded projects); they walk through associated papers and lessons learned working with industry partners CVS Health and Walgreens.
Speakers
Daniel Harris, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
University of Delaware
Kaley Hayes, PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Brown University
Learning Objectives
- Be familiar with the NIA Linkage program and COVVAXAGE linked database of Medicare claims.
- Understand the benefits of data linkages to Medicare data for studying COVID-19 vaccines and clinical outcomes.
- Discuss findings from real-world COVID-19 vaccine studies examining use, safety, and effectiveness among older adults in the US.
