NCT02463864

A Twice-Daily Individual Targeted Exercise Program in Frail Hospitalised Older Medical In-patients (RCT)

A Randomised Controlled Trial to Measure the Effects of Twice-Daily Individual, Targeted, Strengthening, Balance and Endurance Exercise Sessions on Mobility, Quality of Life and Healthcare Utilisation for Frail Older Medical In-patients

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 190 (actual)
• Sponsor: University College Cork · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will help to determine whether frail older medical inpatients will benefit from targeted exercise sessions performed twice daily while in hospital. Half of the patients will complete targeted strengthening, balance and endurance exercises and the other half, stretching and relaxation exercises. The exercise sessions will be assisted and supported by a senior physiotherapist.

Detailed description

It is well known that older medical patients can experience functional decline following an acute hospital admission and this can persist for up to three months. The targeted exercises are designed to prevent this functional decline by maintaining the patients' strength, balance and endurance. To counterbalance the considerable time spent with the physiotherapy services in the intervention arm, the control group will receive stretches and relaxation exercises. Patients' length of stay is the primary outcome measure. Their physical performance and quality of life at discharge and at 3 months post discharge and their readmission rates are the secondary outcome measures.

Conditions

• Frail Older Adults

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Intervention exercise	Twice daily, individual, targeted, strengthening, balance and endurance exercises for the duration of the hospital stay, prescribed and delivered by a senior physiotherapist.
OTHER	Sham Exercise	Twice daily stretching and relaxation exercises for the duration of the hospital stay, by a senior physiotherapist.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-03-01
• Primary completion: 2017-02-01
• Completion: 2017-05-01
• First posted: 2015-06-04
• Last updated: 2017-11-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Ireland