Nursing Home CareMGUNCT07634757
Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents
An observational study of Nursing Home Care and Hospitalisation Prevention, run by Universität des Saarlandes at 1 site in Germany.
Trial summary
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase during which the MGU is implemented. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Nursing Home Care, Hospitalisation Prevention
- What is being tested?
- Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)
- How many people
- 4,907 participants
- Where
- 1 siteGermany
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2026to Mar 2028
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Residents of participating nursing homes
Who may be able to join
- Residents of participating nursing homes
- Informed consent from participant or legal representative
Who cannot join
- Acute life-threatening conditions requiring immediate hospitalisation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Silke Walter contact
About this study
Official title: Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Observational Before-After Study
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase during which the MGU is implemented. The MGU provides advanced on-site diagnostics and telemedicine-supported specialist consultation within nursing homes.
Read the detailed description
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents in Saarland, Germany. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase with MGU implementation in 46 nursing homes.
The MGU provides on-site advanced diagnostics (CT, X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and laboratory testing) supported by telemedicine consultation with hospital specialists. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics in the nursing home, with results communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.
Usual care involves hospital referral and in-hospital diagnostics. The intervention aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions by providing diagnostics and specialist input directly in the nursing home.
The primary outcome is hospital admissions per person-year. Secondary outcomes include mortality, functional and cognitive status, quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), complications, healthcare costs, and 30-day hospitalisation-free survival.
Eligible participants are nursing home residents with consent or proxy consent; those requiring immediate hospitalisation are excluded.
Data are obtained from routine care and medical records, MGU documentation, structured assessments, and follow-up. Multilevel Poisson regression and interrupted time series analysis will be used.
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Saarland (AZ 159-21) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
- Conditions
- Nursing Home Care, Hospitalisation Prevention
- Being tested
- Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)
- Keywords
- Nursing home, Geriatrics, Telemedicine, Hospitalisation, Mobile diagnostics
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)Other
The MGU is a mobile diagnostic unit providing on-site diagnostics in nursing homes. It includes a 32-slice (64 slice reconstruction) whole body CT scanner, digital X-ray, portable ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and point-of-care laboratory diagnostics. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics on-site. Results are transmitted via telemedicine to hospital specialists and communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control Phase (Usual Care) | Usual care including general practitioner (GP) referral, hospital transport, and in-hospital diagnostics and treatment. | |
| Intervention Phase (MGU) | On-site diagnostic evaluation using the Mobile Geriatric Unit with broad diagnostic capabilities followed by teleconsultation and further treatment by the general practitioner. Receives: Other: Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Hospital admissions per person-year
Number of inpatient hospital admissions, excluding elective admissions.
Measured: Up to 24 months
Secondary outcomes (7)
Mortality
Mortality
Measured: Day 180
Functional status; mobility: modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS):
0: No symptoms
- No significant disability
- Slight disability
- Moderate disability
- Moderately severe disability
- Severe disability
- Death
Minimum value: 0 (best outcome) Maximum value: 6 (worst outcome)
Measured: Day 180
Functional status; frailty: Clinical Frailty Scale
Clinical Frailty Scale (as according to Moorhouse and Rockwood*):
- very fit
- well
- managing well
- apparently vulnerable
- mildly frail
- moderately frail
- severely frail
- very severely frail
- terminally ill
Minimum value: 1 (best outcome) Maximum value: 9 (worst outcome)
- Moorhouse P, Rockwood K. Frailty and its quantitative clinical evaluation. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2012; 42: 333-40
Measured: Day 180
Cognitive status
The cognitive performance assessment is carried out through subjective evaluation by the nursing home's nursing staff at day 180.
Measured: Day 180
Quality of life (EQ-5D-5L)
EQ-5D-5L is a standardised measure of health-related quality of life developed by the EuroQol Group and assesses health status in terms of five dimensions of health. The five levels in each dimension are worded as (1) 'not /no problems', (2) 'slight problems', (3) 'moderate problems', (4) 'severe problems' and (5) 'unable to' (mobility, self-care, usual activities), 'extreme' (pain/depression), or 'extremely' (anxiety/depression).
Minimum value: 1 (best outcome) Maximum value: 5 (worst outcome)
Measured: Day 180
Healthcare costs
Hospitalisation, transport, and MGU costs
Measured: Day 360
30-day hospitalisation-free survival
Hospitalisation-free survival at day 30
Measured: Day 30
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Jun 2026
- Study start1 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionMar 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Nursing Home CareStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 4,907 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universität des Saarlandes
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- DIKOM Consortium
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Klaus Faßbender, Universität des Saarlandes
- Investigators
- Klaus Fassbender, Professor, Principal investigator, Universität des Saarlandes
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07634757
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MGU
- Acronym
- MGU
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 26 May 2026
- Last updated
- 10 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Observational Before-After Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07634757
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MGU / MGU
- Conditions
- Nursing Home Care, Hospitalisation Prevention
- Keywords
- Nursing home, Geriatrics, Telemedicine, Hospitalisation, Mobile diagnostics
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 4,907 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universität des SaarlandesUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- DIKOM Consortium
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Mar 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 9 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase during which the MGU is implemented. The MGU provides advanced on-site diagnostics and telemedicine-supported specialist consultation within nursing homes.
Detailed description
This prospective observational before-after study evaluates the impact of a Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU) on hospitalisation rates among nursing home residents in Saarland, Germany. The study includes a 12-month control phase with usual care followed by a 12-month intervention phase with MGU implementation in 46 nursing homes.
The MGU provides on-site advanced diagnostics (CT, X-ray, ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and laboratory testing) supported by telemedicine consultation with hospital specialists. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics in the nursing home, with results communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours.
Usual care involves hospital referral and in-hospital diagnostics. The intervention aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions by providing diagnostics and specialist input directly in the nursing home.
The primary outcome is hospital admissions per person-year. Secondary outcomes include mortality, functional and cognitive status, quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), complications, healthcare costs, and 30-day hospitalisation-free survival.
Eligible participants are nursing home residents with consent or proxy consent; those requiring immediate hospitalisation are excluded.
Data are obtained from routine care and medical records, MGU documentation, structured assessments, and follow-up. Multilevel Poisson regression and interrupted time series analysis will be used.
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Saarland (AZ 159-21) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control Phase (Usual Care) | – | –Usual care including general practitioner (GP) referral, hospital transport, and in-hospital diagnostics and treatment. |
| Intervention Phase (MGU) | – | Other: Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)On-site diagnostic evaluation using the Mobile Geriatric Unit with broad diagnostic capabilities followed by teleconsultation and further treatment by the general practitioner. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Residents of participating nursing homes
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Residents of participating nursing homes
- Informed consent from participant or legal representative
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Acute life-threatening conditions requiring immediate hospitalisation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Geriatric Unit (MGU)The MGU is a mobile diagnostic unit providing on-site diagnostics in nursing homes. It includes a 32-slice (64 slice reconstruction) whole body CT scanner, digital X-ray, portable ultrasound, ECG, EEG, and point-of-care laboratory diagnostics. A physician and radiology technician perform diagnostics on-site. Results are transmitted via telemedicine to hospital specialists and communicated to the general practitioner for treatment decisions within 48 hours. | Other | Intervention Phase (MGU) |
Primary outcome
Hospital admissions per person-year
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Number of inpatient hospital admissions, excluding elective admissions.
7 secondary outcomes
Mortality
Time frame: Day 180
Functional status; mobility: modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Time frame: Day 180
Functional status; frailty: Clinical Frailty Scale
Time frame: Day 180
Cognitive status
Time frame: Day 180
Quality of life (EQ-5D-5L)
Time frame: Day 180
Healthcare costs
Time frame: Day 360
30-day hospitalisation-free survival
Time frame: Day 30
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Jun 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Silke Walter contact
Klaus Fassbender, Professor principal investigator
Universität des Saarlandes
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Nursing Home Care and Hospitalisation Prevention, run by Universität des Saarlandes at 1 site in Germany.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Klaus Fassbender, Professor (+49 681 302 75027, klaus.fassbender@uks.eu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Hospital admissions per person-year (time frame: Up to 24 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Jun 2026.