Examining symptoms and medication use in nursing home residents nearing end of life

Longitudinal Patterns of Symptoms, Medication and Hospice Use in Nursing Home Residents Approaching End of Life

NIH-funded research Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester · NIH-10845541

This study is looking at how nursing home residents nearing the end of their lives experience symptoms and medication use, with the goal of making their care more comfortable and focused on easing their symptoms rather than just treating illnesses.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniv of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Worcester, United States)
Project IDNIH-10845541 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research investigates how symptoms, medication use, and hospice care evolve for nursing home residents who are approaching the end of their lives. It focuses on understanding the complexities of prescribing and deprescribing medications in this vulnerable population, aiming to improve care by shifting from curative to symptom-oriented approaches. The study will also train new researchers to contribute to this field, ultimately developing tools to better identify when residents are in their final life stages and how to optimize their medication use during this time.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are nursing home residents who are elderly and experiencing multiple health issues as they approach the end of life.

Not a fit: Patients who are not in nursing homes or those who are not facing end-of-life situations may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved medication management and quality of life for nursing home residents nearing the end of life.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown promising results in improving end-of-life care through better medication management, indicating that this approach has potential for success.

Where this research is happening

Worcester, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions American Cancer Society
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.