Multimodal cognitive and behavioral interventions for patients with MCI: a systematic review and meta-analysis on cognition and mood.

Background: Research has increasingly suggested a benefit to combining multiple cognitive or behavioral strategies in a single treatment program for cognitively impaired older adults. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize results on the effects of multimodal cognitive and behavioral interventions versus control conditions on changes in cognition and mood in patients with mild cognitive impairment (pwMCI). Methods: The review followed a general PRISMA guideline for systematic literature review with a format consisting of participants, interventions, comparators, and outcomes (PICO). Multilevel meta-analyses of aggregated efficacy were performed to assess the pooled effect sizes for cognitive and mood outcomes. Risk-of-bias, heterogeneity across studies, and publication bias were assessed for each outcome. Results: After primary and reference searches, 18 studies with low or some concerns of risk of bias were included. Low heterogeneity was found for mood and cognition. Funnel plots did not indicate publication bias. All the studies assessed changes in cognition (n = 1,555) while seven studies with mood outcomes (n = 343) were included. Multilevel meta-analyses demonstrated moderate effect (Hedge's g = 0.44, 95% CI = [0.21-0.67]) in cognitive outcomes and large effect in mood (g = 0.65, 95% CI = [0.37-0.93]). Subdomain analyses found low-moderate effects in global cognition, verbal and non-verbal memory, executive function, visuospatial abilities, and semantic fluency (0.20 < g < 0.50). Conclusion: These findings showed comparable to larger effects of multimodal cognitive and behavioral interventions on cognition than pharmacological treatment. Future studies should focus on the longitudinal effects of multimodal interventions in delaying dementia.Systematic review registration: PROSEPRO, CRD42022349297.

Diffusion MRI relates to plasma Aß42/40 in PET negative participants without dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers are needed for indexing early biological stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as plasma amyloid-ß (Aß42/40) positivity in Aß positron emission tomography (PET) negative individuals. METHODS: Diffusion free-water (FW) MRI was acquired in individuals with normal cognition (NC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with Aß plasma-/PET- (NC = 22, MCI = 60), plasma+/PET- (NC = 5, MCI = 20), and plasma+/PET+ (AD dementia = 21) biomarker status. Gray and white matter FW and fractional anisotropy (FAt) were compared cross-sectionally and the relationships between imaging, plasma and PET biomarkers were assessed. RESULTS: Plasma+/PET- demonstrated increased FW (24 regions) and decreased FAt (66 regions) compared to plasma-/PET-. FW (16 regions) and FAt (51 regions) were increased in plasma+/PET+ compared to plasma+/PET-. Composite brain FW correlated with plasma Aß42/40 and p-tau181. DISCUSSION: FW imaging changes distinguish plasma Aß42/40 positive and negative groups, independent of group differences in cognitive status, Aß PET status, and other plasma biomarkers (i.e., t-tau, p-tau181, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light). HIGHLIGHTS: Plasma Aß42/40 positivity is associated with brain microstructure decline. Plasma+/PET- demonstrated increased FW in 24 total GM and WM regions. Plasma+/PET- demonstrated decreased FAt in 66 total GM and WM regions. Whole-brain FW correlated with plasma Aß42/40 and p-tau181 measures. Plasma+/PET- demonstrated decreased cortical volume and thickness.

Different aspects of failing to recover from proactive semantic interference predicts rate of progression from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Introduction: This study investigated the role of proactive semantic interference (frPSI) in predicting the progression of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) to dementia, taking into account various cognitive and biological factors. Methods: The research involved 89 older adults with aMCI who underwent baseline assessments, including amyloid PET and MRI scans, and were followed longitudinally over a period ranging from 12 to 55 months (average 26.05 months). Results: The findings revealed that more than 30% of the participants diagnosed with aMCI progressed to dementia during the observation period. Using Cox Proportional Hazards modeling and adjusting for demographic factors, global cognitive function, hippocampal volume, and amyloid positivity, two distinct aspects of frPSI were identified as significant predictors of a faster decline to dementia. These aspects were fewer correct responses on a frPSI trial and a higher number of semantic intrusion errors on the same trial, with 29.5% and 31.6 % increases in the likelihood of more rapid progression to dementia, respectively. Discussion: These findings after adjustment for demographic and biological markers of Alzheimer's Disease, suggest that assessing frPSI may offer valuable insights into the risk of dementia progression in individuals with aMCI.

Plasma Alzheimer's biomarkers and brain amyloid in Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease studies often lack ethnic diversity. METHODS: We evaluated associations between plasma biomarkers commonly studied in Alzheimer's (p-tau181, GFAP, and NfL), clinical diagnosis (clinically normal, amnestic MCI, amnestic dementia, or non-amnestic MCI/dementia), and Aß-PET in Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults. Hispanics were predominantly of Cuban or South American ancestry. RESULTS: Three-hundred seventy nine participants underwent blood draw (71.9 ± 7.8 years old, 60.2% female, 57% Hispanic of which 88% were Cuban or South American) and 240 completed Aß-PET. P-tau181 was higher in amnestic MCI (p = 0.004, d = 0.53) and dementia (p < 0.001, d = 0.97) than in clinically normal participants and discriminated Aß-PET[+] and Aß-PET[-] (AUC = 0.86). P-tau181 outperformed GFAP and NfL. There were no significant interactions with ethnicity. Among amnestic MCI, Hispanics had lower odds of elevated p-tau181 than non-Hispanic (OR = 0.41, p = 0.006). DISCUSSION: Plasma p-tau181 informs etiological diagnosis of cognitively impaired Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults. Hispanic ethnicity may relate to greater likelihood of non-Alzheimer's contributions to memory loss. HIGHLIGHTS: Alzheimer's biomarkers were measured in Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults. Plasma p-tau181 related to amnestic cognitive decline and brain amyloid burden. AD biomarker associations did not differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic ethnicity. Hispanic individuals may be more likely to have non-Alzheimer causes of memory loss.

Semantic intrusion errors are associated with plasma Ptau-181 among persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment who are amyloid positive.

Introduction: Semantic intrusion errors (SI) have distinguished between those with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) who are amyloid positive (A+) versus negative (A-) on positron emission tomography (PET). Method: This study examines the association between SI and plasma - based biomarkers. One hundred and twenty-eight participants received SiMoA derived measures of plasma pTau-181, ratio of two amyloid-ß peptide fragments (Aß42/Aß40), Neurofilament Light protein (NfL), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), ApoE genotyping, and amyloid PET imaging. Results: The aMCI A+ (n = 42) group had a higher percentage of ApoE ɛ4 carriers, and greater levels of pTau-181 and SI, than Cognitively Unimpaired (CU) A- participants (n = 25). CU controls did not differ from aMCI A- (n = 61) on plasma biomarkers or ApoE genotype. Logistic regression indicated that ApoE ɛ4 positivity, pTau-181, and SI were independent differentiating predictors (Correct classification = 82.0%; Sensitivity = 71.4%; Specificity = 90.2%) in identifying A+ from A- aMCI cases. Discussion: A combination of plasma biomarkers, ApoE positivity and SI had high specificity in identifying A+ from A- aMCI cases.

Identification of Outcome-Oriented Progression Subtypes from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease Using Electronic Health Records.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease that requires an in-depth understanding of its progression pathways and contributing factors to develop effective risk stratification and prevention strategies. In this study, we proposed an outcome-oriented model to identify progression pathways from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD using electronic health records (EHRs) from the OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Consortium. To achieve this, we employed the long short-term memory (LSTM) network to extract relevant information from the sequential records of each patient. The hierarchical agglomerative clustering was then applied to the learned representation to group patients based on their progression subtypes. Our approach identified multiple progression pathways, each of which represented distinct patterns of disease progression from MCI to AD. These pathways can serve as a valuable resource for researchers to understand the factors influencing AD progression and to develop personalized interventions to delay or prevent the onset of the disease.

Stability in cognitive classification as a function of severity of impairment and ethnicity: A longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The interaction of ethnicity, progression of cognitive impairment, and neuroimaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease remains unclear. We investigated the stability in cognitive status classification (cognitively normal [CN] and mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) of 209 participants (124 Hispanics/Latinos and 85 European Americans). METHODS: Biomarkers (structural MRI and amyloid PET scans) were compared between Hispanic/Latino and European American individuals who presented a change in cognitive diagnosis during the second or third follow-up and those who remained stable over time. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in biomarkers between ethnic groups in any of the diagnostic categories. The frequency of CN and MCI participants who were progressors (progressed to a more severe cognitive diagnosis at follow-up) and non-progressors (either stable through follow-ups or unstable [progressed but later reverted to a diagnosis of CN]) did not significantly differ across ethnic groups. Progressors had greater atrophy in the hippocampus (HP) and entorhinal cortex (ERC) at baseline compared to unstable non-progressors (reverters) for both ethnic groups, and more significant ERC atrophy was observed among progressors of the Hispanic/Latino group. For European Americans diagnosed with MCI, there were 60% more progressors than reverters (reverted from MCI to CN), while among Hispanics/Latinos with MCI, there were 7% more reverters than progressors. Binomial logistic regressions predicting progression, including brain biomarkers, MMSE, and ethnicity, demonstrated that only MMSE was a predictor for CN participants at baseline. However, for MCI participants at baseline, HP atrophy, ERC atrophy, and MMSE predicted progression.

Evaluation of a Computable Phenotype for Successful Cognitive Aging.

Objective: To establish, apply, and evaluate a computable phenotype for the recruitment of individuals with successful cognitive aging. Participants and Methods: Interviews with 10 aging experts identified electronic health record (EHR)-available variables representing successful aging among individuals aged 85 years and older. On the basis of the identified variables, we developed a rule-based computable phenotype algorithm composed of 17 eligibility criteria. Starting September 1, 2019, we applied the computable phenotype algorithm to all living persons aged 85 years and older at the University of Florida Health, which identified 24,024 individuals. This sample was comprised of 13,841 (58%) women, 13,906 (58%) Whites, and 16,557 (69%) non-Hispanics. A priori permission to be contacted for research had been obtained for 11,898 individuals, of whom 470 responded to study announcements and 333 consented to evaluation. Then, we contacted those who consented to evaluate whether their cognitive and functional status clinically met out successful cognitive aging criteria of a modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score of more than 27 and Geriatric Depression Scale of less than 6. The study was completed on December 31, 2022. Results: Of the 45% of living persons aged 85 years and older included in the University of Florida Health EHR database identified by the computable phenotype as successfully aged, approximately 4% of these responded to study announcements and 333 consented, of which 218 (65%) met successful cognitive aging criteria through direct evaluation. Conclusion: The study evaluated a computable phenotype algorithm for the recruitment of individuals for a successful aging study using large-scale EHRs. Our study provides proof of concept of using big data and informatics as aids for the recruitment of individuals for prospective cohort studies.

Early prediction of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias using real-world electronic health records.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to explore machine learning (ML) methods for early prediction of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) using the real-world electronic health records (EHRs). METHODS: A total of 23,835 ADRD and 1,038,643 control patients were identified from the OneFlorida+ Research Consortium. Two ML methods were used to develop the prediction models. Both knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches were explored. Four computable phenotyping algorithms were tested. RESULTS: The gradient boosting tree (GBT) models trained with the data-driven approach achieved the best area under the curve (AUC) scores of 0.939, 0.906, 0.884, and 0.854 for early prediction of ADRD 0, 1, 3, or 5 years before diagnosis, respectively. A number of important clinical and sociodemographic factors were identified. DISCUSSION: We tested various settings and showed the predictive ability of using ML approaches for early prediction of ADRD with EHRs. The models can help identify high-risk individuals for early informed preventive or prognostic clinical decisions.

Procedural learning, declarative learning, and working memory as predictors of learning the use of a memory compensation tool in persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Persons with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) are at risk for experiencing changes in their daily functioning due to their memory impairment. The Memory Support System (MSS), a compensatory calendaring system, was developed to support functional independence in persons with aMCI (pwaMCI). This cross-sectional study examined procedural learning, declarative learning, and working memory as predictors of MSS learning efficiency in pwaMCI. Sixty pwaMCI participated in MSS training. The Serial Reaction Time Test and Mirror Tracing Test were used to assess procedural learning. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and CogState One Card Learning were used to assess declarative learning and the CogState One Back task was used to assess working memory. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess if procedural learning, declarative learning, and working memory predicted MSS learning efficiency. This study showed that declarative learning predicted MSS learning efficiency in pwaMCI, with less consistent results for procedural learning and non-significant results for working memory. Findings suggest that success in teaching compensatory tools is greater when training is offered in early aMCI before declarative learning skill is fully lost. Future studies should assess additional strategies to facilitate MSS learning in advanced aMCI.

Declarative Learning, Priming, and Procedural Learning Performances comparing Individuals with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: While declarative learning is dependent on the hippocampus, procedural learning and repetition priming can operate independently from the hippocampus, making them potential targets for behavioral interventions that utilize non-declarative memory systems to compensate for the declarative learning deficits associated with hippocampal insult. Few studies have assessed procedural learning and repetition priming in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). METHOD: This study offers an overview across declarative, conceptual repetition priming, and procedural learning tasks by providing between-group effect sizes and Bayes Factors (BFs) comparing individuals with aMCI and controls. Seventy-six individuals with aMCI and 83 cognitively unimpaired controls were assessed. We hypothesized to see the largest differences between individuals with aMCI and controls on declarative learning, followed by conceptual repetition priming, with the smallest differences on procedural learning. RESULTS: Consistent with our hypotheses, we found large differences between groups with supporting BFs on declarative learning. For conceptual repetition priming, we found a small-to-moderate between-group effect size and a non-conclusive BF somewhat in favor of a difference between groups. We found more variable but overall trivial differences on procedural learning tasks, with inconclusive BFs, in line with expectations. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that conceptual repetition priming does not remain intact in individuals with aMCI while procedural learning may remain intact. While additional studies are needed, our results contribute to the evidence-base that suggests that procedural learning may remain spared in aMCI and helps inform behavioral interventions that aim to utilize procedural learning in this population.

Health concerns and attitudes towards research participation in a community of rural Black Americans.

OBJECTIVES: Describe health concerns of Black Americans as they age and what influences their participation in aging and clinical research. METHODS: Fifty participants attended focus groups and completed questionnaires to identify barriers to research participation and attitudes toward dementia screening. Bivariate correlations explored associations between barriers to research participation and attitudes toward dementia screening. RESULTS: Cancer, hereditary conditions, vascular conditions, memory disorders, and psychological disorders were the greatest health concerns. Time demands, mistrust, lack of knowledge about potential research, and stigma were identified as barriers for research participation. Incentives, better understanding of how proposed research will benefit the community, lifestyle modification studies, active presence of principal researchers/clinicians, and community investment were identified as factors to improve participation. Questionnaires revealed mistrust and religious beliefs to be among the primary barriers. Attitudes toward dementia screening reflected perceived stigma, suffering, and subsequent loss of independence. Higher barriers to participation were associated with perceived stigma and loss of independence related to dementia screening. CONCLUSIONS: Successfully recruiting Black Americans for aging and clinical research remains a challenge. This study identifies barriers to participation and offers suggestions for planning and recruitment.

Identification of Outcome-Oriented Progression Subtypes from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease Using Electronic Health Records.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease that requires an in-depth understanding of its progression pathways and contributing factors to develop effective risk stratification and prevention strategies. In this study, we proposed an outcome-oriented model to identify progression pathways from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD using electronic health records (EHRs) from the OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Consortium. To achieve this, we employed the long short-term memory (LSTM) network to extract relevant information from the sequential records of each patient. The hierarchical agglomerative clustering was then applied to the learned representation to group patients based on their progression subtypes. Our approach identified multiple progression pathways, each of which represented distinct patterns of disease progression from MCI to AD. These pathways can serve as a valuable resource for researchers to understand the factors influencing AD progression and to develop personalized interventions to delay or prevent the onset of the disease.

Neuropathological and Clinical Correlates of Lewy Body Disease Survival by Race and Ethnicity in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center.

BACKGROUND: Survival and associated clinical and pathological characteristics in Lewy body disease (LBD)-related dementias are understudied. Available studies focus primarily on white non-Hispanic samples. OBJECTIVE: We investigated demographic, clinical, and pathological correlates of survival by race and ethnicity in an autopsy-confirmed cohort of LBD cases. METHODS: Using National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data, we selected participants who self-identified as Black, Hispanic, or white who had neuropathological assessments showing transitional or diffuse LBD pathology. We used Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson χ2 analyses to investigate group differences in demographic and presenting clinical and pathological characteristics. We used linear regressions to identify predictors of survival with sex, age at symptom onset, education, ethnoracial status, LBD pathology type, and Braak tangle stage included in the model. RESULTS: Data from 1,441 white, 60 Black, and 54 Hispanic participants were available for analysis. Hispanics were more likely to have transitional LBD pathology and had a longer survival than white and Black participants. After controlling for demographic and pathological variables, length of survival did not differ between Hispanics and Black or white participants. Additional key findings demonstrated discrepancies between clinical diagnoses received at last visit and pathological findings, particularly among Black participants. CONCLUSION: LBD survival differences by race and ethnicity can be accounted for by LBD pathology type and co-occurring Alzheimer's disease pathology. The discrepancies between clinical diagnoses and pathological findings raise the concern that dementia with Lewy bodies is underdiagnosed in NACC, especially for Black older adults.

Hippocampal Subfields in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Associations with Objective and Informant-Report of Memory Function.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that select hippocampal subfields are implicated in the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are selectively involved in objective memory. Less is known whether subfields are associated with informant-reported memory difficulties of individuals with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHOD: Data from 56 participants with a diagnosis of amnestic MCI were included in the present study. To test whether FreeSurfer derived hippocampal subfields (CA1-4, subiculum, presubiculum, and dentate gyrus) were associated with objective (learning and delayed recall) and informant-reports of memory difficulties, we used multiple linear regression analysis. Subfields were adjusted for total intracranial volume, and age, sex, and years of education were included as covariates in all models. RESULTS: Larger presubiculum, subiculum, and CA4/dentate gyrus volumes were associated with higher delayed recall scores, and larger subiculum and CA4/dentate gyrus volumes were associated with fewer informant-reports of memory difficulties. There were no statistically significant associations between subfields and learning scores. DISCUSSION: Findings from the present study support the idea that difficulties with memory-dependent everyday tasks in older adults with MCI may signal a neurodegenerative process while increasing understanding of subfields correlates of these memory-specific functional difficulties. Continued investigations into identifying patterns of subfield atrophy in AD may aid early identification of those at higher risk of dementia conversion while advancing precision medicine.

Behavioral Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): Lessons from a Multicomponent Program.

Comparative effectiveness of behavioral interventions to mitigate the impacts of degeneration-based cognitive decline is not well understood. To better address this gap, we summarize the studies from the Healthy Action to Benefit Independence & Thinking (HABIT®) program, developed for persons with mild cognitive impairment (pwMCI) and their partners. HABIT® includes memory compensation training, computerized cognitive training (CCT), yoga, patient and partner support groups, and wellness education. Studies cited include (i) a survey of clinical program completers to establish outcome priorities; (ii) a five-arm, multi-site cluster randomized, comparative effectiveness trial; (iii) and a three-arm ancillary study. PwMCI quality of life (QoL) was considered a high-priority outcome. Across datasets, findings suggest that quality of life was most affected in groups where wellness education was included and CCT withheld. Wellness education also had greater impact on mood than CCT. Yoga had a greater impact on memory-dependent functional status than support groups. Yoga was associated with better functional status and improved caregiver burden relative to wellness education. CCT had the greatest impact on cognition compared to yoga. Taken together, comparisons of groups of program components suggest that knowledge-based interventions like wellness education benefit patient well-being (e.g., QoL and mood). Skill-based interventions like yoga and memory compensation training aid the maintenance of functional status. Notably, better adherence produced better outcomes. Future personalized intervention approaches for pwMCI may include different combinations of behavioral strategies selected to optimize outcomes prioritized by patient values and preferences.

The impact of patient and partner personality traits on learning success for a cognitive rehabilitation intervention for patients with MCI.

The Memory Support System (MSS) is the memory compensation tool used in the HABIT Healthy Action to Benefit Independence and Thinking® Program. People diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (pwMCI; n = 153) participated in this cognitive rehabilitative programme with a partner. We first aimed to determine if prior research on the positive impact of higher baseline cognitive status on successful MSS learning would be replicated in a new sample. We further evaluated the impact of the pwMCI's and partner's personality traits, as measured by the Ten Item Personality Inventory, on successful learning. Better global cognitive status was again shown to increase the odds for MSS learning success. In terms of personality, the highest odds of learning success occurred when the pwMCI was high in Openness to Experience (OR = 5.43), followed by high partner Openness (OR = 2.53) or high Openness in both the pwMCI and partner (OR = 2.31). In sum, when the pwMCI possessed both better cognitive status and openness to new experience they were better able to master a cognitive rehabilitation tool for MCI.

Repetition Priming in Individuals with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Dementia: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The literature on repetition priming in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is inconsistent, with some findings supporting spared priming while others do not. Several factors may explain these inconsistencies, including AD severity (e.g., dementia vs. Mild Cognitive Impairment; MCI) and priming paradigm-related characteristics. This systematic review and meta-analysis provides a quantitative summary of repetition priming in AD. We examined the between-group standard mean difference comparing repetition priming in AD dementia or amnestic MCI (aMCI; presumably due to AD) to controls. Thirty-two studies were selected, including 590 individuals with AD dementia, 267 individuals with amnestic MCI, and 703 controls. Our results indicated that both individuals with aMCI and AD dementia perform worse on repetition priming tasks than cognitively older adults. Paradigm-related moderators suggested that the effect size between studies comparing the combined aMCI or AD dementia group to cognitively healthy older adults was the highest for paradigms that required participants to produce, rather than identify, primes during the test phase. Our results further suggested that priming in AD is impaired for both conceptual and perceptual priming tasks. Lastly, while our results suggested that priming in AD is impaired for priming tasks that require deep processing, we were unable to draw firm conclusions about whether priming is less impaired in aMCI or AD dementia for paradigms that require shallow processing.

Patient values in healthcare decision making among diverse older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To provide high-quality healthcare, it is essential to understand values that guide the healthcare decisions of older adults. We investigated the types of values that culturally diverse older adults incorporate in medical decision making. METHODS: Focus groups were held with older adults who varied in cognitive status (mildly impaired versus those with normal cognition) and ethnicity (Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Investigators used a qualitative descriptive approach to analyze transcripts and identify themes. RESULTS: Forty-nine individuals (49% with cognitive impairment; 51% Hispanic) participated. Participants expressed a wide range of values relating to individual factors, familial/cultural beliefs and expectations, balancing risks and benefits, receiving decisional support, and considering values other than their own. Participants emphasized that values are individual-specific, influenced by aging, and change throughout life course. Participants described barriers and facilitators that interfere with or promote value solicitation and incorporation during medical encounters. CONCLUSION: Study findings highlight that in older adults with various health experiences, cognitive and physical health status, and sociocultural backgrounds, medical decisions are influenced by a variety of values. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians should take time to elicit, understand, and reassess the different types of values of older adults.

Reducing Patient Aggression Through a Nonviolent Patient De-escalation Program: A Descriptive Quality Improvement Process.

BACKGROUND: Patients commonly display aggressive and violent behaviors toward nursing staff, contributing to severe consequences. Healthcare institutions must develop and implement systems addressing this global safety problem. AIM: To improve clinical practice safety for inpatient acute care settings by providing healthcare teams throughout a large academic medical center with a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) program, that is, a system for reporting and de-escalating aggressive patient encounters. METHODS: This descriptive quality improvement process took place within two inpatient acute care departments using simulation-based training, patient safety rounds, and a BERT activation system. Participant groups included nursing personnel who completed a baseline survey (n = 302), telecommunication dispatchers (n = 20), BERT responders (n = 78), and bedside nursing staff (n = 43) recipients of BERT program resources. Methods included a baseline questionnaire, pre- and post-intervention surveys, formal reports of aggressive patient encounters, documentation from patient safety rounds, and records of activated BERT responses. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, boxplots, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: This project mitigated patient aggression episodes by successfully designing and implementing an evidence-based BERT program. Findings suggested bedside nursing program participants felt more confident and capable of managing aggressive patient behaviors. A strong partnership between security officers and nursing staff limited the risk of harm to clinical staff by identifying and intervening with 41 potentially aggressive patients. Finally, formal reports of patient aggression episodes did not increase during this project, which may have indicated early prevention and detection of aggression while reflecting the broader problem of aggression under-reporting in nursing. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Healthcare organizations need to have robust systems to manage aggressive patient encounters. Comprehensive strategies for managing patient aggression include simulation-based training, the use of BERT responders, and a strong partnership between nursing and security officer teams.