An INtervention TO Improve MOBility of Older Hospitalized Patients

Launched by INSEL GRUPPE AG, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL BERN · Nov 28, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying ways to help older patients move more during their hospital stay. Many older adults become less mobile while in the hospital, which can lead to serious problems like difficulty walking, needing to go to a nursing home, or even death. The trial aims to test a program that provides tools and support for both patients and healthcare staff to overcome barriers to mobility, without needing extra resources. This includes information booklets, exercise guides, and daily reminders for healthcare staff about how to encourage movement.

To be eligible for the trial, participants need to be at least 60 years old, able to walk before their hospital stay, and living independently in the community. They should expect to receive helpful materials to promote mobility and be part of a supportive environment that encourages movement, with the ultimate goal of improving their ability to move around and function better after their hospital stay. The trial will first test these ideas in a small group, then expand to more patients to see how effective the program really is.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion criteria:
• • Admission to a general internal medicine (GIM) ward of a participating hospital
• • Age ≥60 years
• • Being ambulatory during the 2 weeks before admission (self-report)
• • Living in the community (not in a nursing home or another institution) for at least the last 30 days prior to admission
• • Ability to understand French or German
• • Planned length of stay at least 3 days after enrollment
• • For the pilot-study only: Possibility to start the study within 48 hours after admission to the GIM ward
• Exclusion criteria:
• • Medical contraindication to walk (e.g., wound not allowing loading weight)
• • Wheelchair-bound
• • End-of-life
• • Severe psychiatric disorder (severe depression, schizophrenia, psychosis)
• • Delirium (according to the Confusion Assessment Method \[CAM\])
• Additional exclusion criterion for the pilot-study only:
• • - Dementia (defined as Mini-Cog \<3)
• Additional exclusion criteria for the RCT only:
• • Cognitive impairment making impossible to use study material (=implement the intervention) and to understand and sign informed consent, based on clinical judgement, except if a proxy can be actively involved in the study and provides consent
• • Severe visual impairment

Trial Officials