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

University College Cork (UCC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Frail Older Adults

Treatments: Other: Sham Exercise; Other: Intervention exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02463864

UCCork

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 190 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• medical patients
• anticipated length of stay greater than 2 days
• planned for discharge home
• mobility aid and /or assistance required on admission

Exclusion criteria

• contraindications to exercise
• unable to follow commands in the English language
• unable to exercise with the assistance of one person only
• when active palliative care is required
• when full isolation for containment of a contagious infection is required

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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190 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Twice daily, individual, targeted, strengthening, balance and endurance exercise sessions

Treatment:

Other: Intervention exercise

Sham exercise

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Twice daily, individual, stretching and relaxation exercise sessions

Treatment:

Other: Sham Exercise