Results From a Platform-Based Clinical Trial for Persons Diagnosed With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

The process of receiving a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is overwhelming. Individuals may experience adaptive or maladaptive responses to the diagnosis. Five specific areas of maladaptive response were previously identified, including 1) failure to plan for future decline, 2) decreased compliance and interaction with medical care providers, 3) decreased confidence and reduced social engagement, 4) increased physical limitations and mobility, and 5) decreased medication compliance. This pilot study reports on the delivery of the platform-based trial for persons diagnosed with MCI with survey data and qualitative focus groups data (n=38). The study consisted of a single-site platform trial examining the intervention group. Using this approach allowed the participants to explore different biopsychosocial arms of the intervention. Second, the platform design allowed researchers to determine the effects of the interventions on patient help-seeking and adherence behavior in real-world care. Feasibility, opportunities, and challenges will be discussed. Opportunities include the group’s cohesion with the group-based intervention, which increased engagement for study group participation. Additionally, participants were most susceptive to intervention components that were novel (i.e., mindfulness) and administered by a professional (i.e., pharmacist, physical therapist) as opposed to self-facilitated activities. Challenges include frequency of study visits, the study partner requirement, and the in-person delivery of the intervention. These challenges were further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study offer considerations in implementing support programming and clinical research for persons diagnosed with MCI. The presentation will also include discussion on COVID-19 pandemic-related protocol modifications of this intervention study.