Clinical trial NCT01094002: Effects of a Structured Occupational Therapy Intervention in an Acute Geriatric Unit
Official title: Effects of a Structured Occupational Therapy Intervention in an Acute Geriatric Unit. A Randomised Clinical Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Occupational Therapy
Keywords: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL
AGED
PATIENT CARE
Lead sponsor: Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Instituto Ciencias de la Salud, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha
First posted: 2010-03-26
Enrollment: 400
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Objectives: To compare the benefits of structured occupational therapy intervention by a single geriatric therapist with the benefits of the conventional treatment model in the functional recovery of patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit.

Design: Non-pharmacological randomised clinical trial. Setting: Acute Geriatric Unit, Albacete, Spain. Participants: The trial included 400 patients admitted consecutively over 6 months to an acute geriatric unit for acute illness or exacerbation of a chronic medical condition. Participants were randomised to the occupational therapy intervention or conventional treatment model group; 198 patients received occupational therapy. All patients completed the study. The mean age was 83.5, and 56.8% were women.

Interventions: Needs assessment, iatrogenic prevention, retraining in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, assessment of need for technical aids, instruction for primary caregiver in patient mobilisation techniques, and structured social and occupational motivation as per protocol in three groups of patients (cardiopulmonary disease, stroke, and other conditions) 5 days a week, 30 to 45 minutes a day over the entire hospital stay.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All patients age 65 or older consecutively admitted to the acute geriatric unit at the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario in Albacete, Spain, between November 2002 and June 2003 for an acute medical illness or exacerbation of a previous chronic condition

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Functional recovery
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Confusional status
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
measure: Death
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
measure: Hospital stay
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
measure: Upper limb function improvement
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
measure: Improvement in gait pattern
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
measure: Residence change
timeFrame: The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Albacete
country: Spain
facility: Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete
Study officials:
References:
citation: Abizanda P, Navarro JL, Romero L, Leon M, Sanchez-Jurado PM, Dominguez L. Upper extremity function, an independent predictor of adverse events in hospitalized elderly. Gerontology. 2007;53(5):267-73. doi: 10.1159/000102541. Epub 2007 May 8.