Trial Outcomes & Findings for Reducing COVID-19 Related Disability in Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults Using Smart Technology (NCT NCT05379504)

Study participants were recruited using passive methods (flyers distributed to local healthcare clinics, radio ads, print ads, snowball sampling) and active methods (Honest Broker service through MU Healthcare electronic health records for those matching inclusion criteria). No stakeholders were recruited for active participation in this study. Participants were randomized in blocks of 4 to either the Self Management Arm or the Health Education Arm. Stakeholders were not enrolled in this study.

No differences between enrollment and study arm assignment

Reducing COVID-19 Related Disability in Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults Using Smart Technology

The Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living, commonly referred to as the Katz ADL, assesses functional status as a measurement of the client's ability to perform activities of daily living independently. The Index ranks adequacy of performance in the six functions of bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence, and feeding. Clients are scored yes/no for independence in each of the six functions. A score of 6 indicates full function, 4 indicates moderate impairment, and 2 or less indicates severe functional impairment. This scale ranges from 0 to 6. This measure is the calculated change in score from baseline to post-intervention.

PROMIS® (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) is a set of person-centered measures that evaluates and monitors physical, mental, and social health in adults and children. The PROMIS-43 is a collection of 6-item short forms assessing anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain interference, physical function, sleep disturbance, and ability to participate in social roles and activities as well as a single pain intensity item. Each short form is scored as a T-score, with a score of 50 being average. This scale is 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate more (anxiety, depression, etc) and lower scores indicate less. This measure is the change in the T-score from baseline to post-intervention. A positive change in T-score is different for each sub-domain. Each will be indicated below in the row title.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale is a two dimension scale developed to identify depression and anxiety. There are 14 items. The respondent rates each item on a 4 point scale ranging from 0 (absence) to 3 (extreme presence). Some questions are inversely scored. This outcome was assessed at baseline and post-intervention. This measure is the change in score on the scale. The overall range of scores is 0 to 42. Anxiety and depression domains are reported separately below.

The COPM is administered by an occupational therapy practitioner. The participant ranks their five most important occupations that they currently have difficulty with. Then they rate their current performance and satisfaction with that performance on a scale of 1-10. The score on those five occupations are averaged to get a score of self-rated occupational performance and self-rated satisfaction with performance. The scores on both scales can range from 0 to 10. This measure is the change from baseline to post-intervention on both scores, reported separately below.

The Patient Activation Measure® is a 13-item survey that assesses an individual's knowledge, skills and confidence integral to managing one's own health and healthcare. The participants rates how much they agree or disagree (1-4 scale) with 13 statements. Using a licensed tool, a score ranging 0-100 is calculated. This measure is the change in that score from baseline to post-intervention. A positive change score means improvement.