The Efficacy of the Comprehensive Assessment and Multi-Disciplinary Management of Geriatric and Frail Patients: The Study Protocol of a Multi-Center, Randomized, Parallel Controlled Trial (MDT-F)

Background: A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) of elderly patients is useful for detecting the patients' vulnerabilities. Exercise and early rehabilitation, nutritional intervention, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), standardized medication guidance and patient education can, separately, improve and even reverse the physical frailty status. However, the effect of combining a CGA and multi-disciplinary management on frailty in elderly patients remains unclear. The present study assessed the effects of a CGA and multi-disciplinary management on elderly patients with frailty in China.Methods: In this study, 320 inpatients with frailty ≥70 years old will be randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group will be given routine management, a CGA and multi-disciplinary management involving rehabilitation exercise, diet adjustment, multi-drug evaluation, acupoint massage in TCM and patient education for 12 months, and the control group will be followed up with routine management for basic diseases. The primary outcomes are the Fried phenotype and short physical performance battery (SPPB). The secondary outcomes are the clinical frailty scale (CFS), non-elective hospital readmission, basic activities of daily living (BADL), 5­level european quality of life 5 dimensions index (EQ-5D), nutrition risk screening-2002 (NRS-2002), medical insurance expenses, fall events and all-cause mortality. In addition, a cost-effectiveness study will be carried out. Discussion: This paper outlines the protocol for a randomized, single-blind, parallel multi-center clinical study. This protocol, if beneficial, will demonstrate the interaction of various intervention strategies, will help improve elderly frailty patients, and will be useful for clinicians, nurses, policymakers, public health authorities and the general population.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trials Register, ChiCTR1900022623. Registered on 19 April 2019, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=38141.