Use of a Robot in Medication Management for Older People's Home Care

Unrecognized Condition Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Effect of a Robot in Medication Management for Older People's Home Care: a Non-randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05908604
• Other study ID #: University of Eastern Finland
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 30, 2021
• Est. completion date: November 12, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: June 2023
• Source: Savonia University of Applied Sciences
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Non-randomized controlled clinical trial was used. Data were collected using the Working Time Tracking Form in three data collection points (baseline, at 1 month and at 2 month). The participants were home care professionals who carried out home care clients' medication management. Home care clients were allocated into intervention and control groups (n=64 and 46, respectively) based on whether or not they used the robot. The statistical analysis methods were used.

Description:

The data were collected using a Working Time Tracking Form, which was developed by professional team for this study. The team included senior lecturer in nursing with medication management competence, head of older people's home care, and home care professional working in older people's home care. The content of the Time Tracking Form was founded on previous literature about the medication management process in home care. The research protocol was planned by the authors before the study and it can be accessed from the corresponding authors on a reasonable request. The home care professionals filled in the Working Time Tracking Form the time in minutes they used for each phase of process i.e. ordering medications, dispensing medications to the doset or dispensing medications to the robot, reconstitution medications, administration of medications in tablets, administration of medications in other routes, medication education, and monitoring the effects of medications. The Working Time Tracking Form was filled in from each client and from each home visit, which included medication management for a five-day period in baseline and in follow up after one and two months.

The expert panel evaluated, and pilot group pre-tested the Time Tracking Form's content validity. The expert panel consisted of seven participants: one head of home care, three home care professionals, and two senior lecturers in nursing with medication management competence, and one statistician. Panel members evaluated each item focusing on usability, but they did not find revision. A pre-test (answers were not included in this study) was performed with 10 home care professionals having the experience using the robot for medication management in older people's home care. This helped evaluate how understandable and clear the Time Tracking Form's content was and how long time it took to be completed.

The SPSS v.26 software was used to analyse data.The characteristics of sample were reported using descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, medians, mean values, and standard deviation.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 110
• Est. completion date: November 12, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: November 12, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• voluntariness,

• working presently in older people's home care and

• communication in Finnish or English

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Unrecognized Condition

Intervention

Other:
• Robot for madication management
The effect of a robot in medication management for older people's home care

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Finland	Riitta Turjamaa	Kuopio

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Savonia University of Applied Sciences

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Finland, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Baseline measurement: working time used for medication management during one week	Data were collected using the Working Time Tracking Form. The participants were home care professionals who carried out home care clients' medication management. Home care clients were allocated into intervention and control groups (n=64 and 46, respectively) based on whether or not they used the robot. The statistical analysis methods were used.	One week
Primary	Change from baseline working time used for medication management at 1 month during one week	Data were collected using the Working Time Tracking Form. The participants were home care professionals who carried out home care clients' medication management. Home care clients were allocated into intervention and control groups (n=64 and 46, respectively) based on whether or not they used the robot. 1-month measurement was carried out one month after the baseline measurement. The aim of the measurement was to evaluate the change of using a robot for medication management on home care professionals' use of working time.	One week
Primary	Change from baseline working time used for medication management at 2 months during one week	Data were collected using the Working Time Tracking Form. The participants were home care professionals who carried out home care clients' medication management. Home care clients were allocated into intervention and control groups (n=64 and 46, respectively) based on whether or not they used the robot. 2-month measurement was carried out two month after the baseline measurement. The aim of the measurement was to evaluate the change of using a robot for medication management on home care professionals' use of working time.	One week