Effects of a Structured Occupational Therapy Intervention in an Acute Geriatric Unit

NCT01094002 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: PI02069-00
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 400
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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.

Conditions

Occupational Therapy

Keywords

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY; RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL; AGED; PATIENT CARE

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Functional recovery

  Recovery of 10 or more Barthel index points

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Confusional status

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

• Death

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

• Hospital stay

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

• Upper limb function improvement

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

• Improvement in gait pattern

  The day of discharge from hospitalization (average 10 days)

Study Arms (2)

Occupational therapy intervention (OTI)

EXPERIMENTAL

198 subjects. The OTI schedule consisted of a daily 45-minute session, Monday through Friday, for the duration of hospitalisation. Activities were carried out in a structured manner and varied according to need and day of admission. On the first day, the patient's needs were analysed, including the need for iatrogenic prevention, retraining in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, technical aids, instruct the primary caregiver in patient mobilisation techniques, and social and occupational motivation. All OTI participants received an average of 5 sessions during hospitalisation.

Other: Occupational therapy intervention

Conventional treatment model group

NO INTERVENTION

202 subjects. All subjects received medical treatment, nursing care, physical therapy, and social assistance in accordance with the usual practice of the geriatrics unit.

Interventions

Occupational therapy intervention OTHER

Day 1: Physical, functional, cognitive, social, and emotional assessment. Need analysis for iatrogenic prevention, retraining in BADL and IADL, technical aids, instructions in patient mobilisation techniques, and for social and occupational motivation. Day 2 until discharge: 45-minute sessions. Cognitive stimulation and confusional syndrome prevention, instructions to the caregivers on how to prevent complications such as immobility, delirium, falls, urinary incontinence, or pressure sores, and patient stimulation, retraining in activities of daily living. Day of discharge: Instruction for caregivers on managing the patient's residual deficits, assessment for technical aids, recommendations for patient increased independence in ADL, and social and occupational activities.

Occupational therapy intervention (OTI)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete: lead
• Instituto Ciencias de la Salud, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete

Albacete, Albacete, 02006, Spain

Location

Related Publications (1)

• 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.

  PMID: 17495480 RESULT

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 23, 2010
• First Posted: March 26, 2010
• Study Start: November 1, 2002
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2003
• Study Completion: June 1, 2003
• Last Updated: April 12, 2010

Record last verified: 2010-02

Locations

ES (1)