Study on the Effectiveness and Comfort of Innovative Solutions for the Internal Transport of Patients in Wheelchairs in a Hospital Setting

NCT06902883 | Completed Phase 2

• 2 other identifiers: 2024-A00077-40/12024/3801
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 154
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In 2006, 2012, and 2018, under the auspices of the Pain Control Committee, Gustave Roussy stretcher-bearers conducted studies on patient pain caused by internal transport (stretchers). The first study showed that this pain is primarily experienced by patients initially in pain, and that risk factors include crossing elevator landings and threshold bars, handling, and prolonged waiting times. A progress plan was developed, and since 2006, improvement initiatives have been regularly implemented. Their effectiveness has been evaluated by patients and the professionals involved (departure department, carrier, and arrival department). Stretcher-bearing software was purchased following the original study; scheduling has been streamlined, journeys are transmitted to stretcher-bearers via smartphones, and transport times are calculated and analyzed. In 2019, a prototype for connecting patients' IV poles to wheelchairs was developed and tested, thanks to a collaboration between technical services, stretcher-bearers, and the Bureau of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. The time spent by stretcher-bearers transferring infusion sets and other syringe pumps from the patient's IV pole to the wheelchair's pole on the way out, and vice versa on the way back to the room, has been eliminated. The hypothesis is that this elimination would reduce travel times and could have an indirect impact on reducing pain. Wheelchair comfort has been continually improved since 2006: the front casters were replaced with softer and thicker ones, the rear wheels with soft wheels and then with pneumatic tires; the backrests were replaced with a memory foam model, and the seats with an "ultra-comfort" model. These improvements contribute to better pain management during transport and an improved patient experience. Wheelchair comfort could be further improved by replacing the seats with high-quality "Bultex" models. In 2022, 33,800 patients were transported in wheelchairs (round trip, one-way or one-way), representing 35% of annual transports. Technical developments and improvements in wheelchair comfort could contribute to reducing pain caused by internal transport. Primary Objective To evaluate the effect of two interventions (a system for connecting the IV pole to the wheelchair and a new seat) during the internal transport of cancer patients being treated at Gustave Roussy: Intervention 1: To evaluate the impact of using the IV pole connection system on reducing the duration of wheelchair transport for patients receiving infusions; Intervention 2: To evaluate patient preference for the comfort of a wheelchair seat. Secondary Objective To evaluate pain in transported patients (before/after)

Conditions

Hospitalized Patient

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Period of transportation

  Unit of measurement: minute

  1 day

• Comfort of the wheelchair

  Comfort of the wheelchair evaluated according to satisfaction scale from 0 (uncomfortable) to 10 (very comfortable)

  1 day

Study Arms (2)

Wheelchair test 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Patient will test experimental wheelchair during outward journey and standard wheelchair during return journey

Device: Serum holder connected to the wheelchair; Device: wheelchair seat

Wheelchair test 2

EXPERIMENTAL

Patient will test standard wheelchair during outward journey and experimental wheelchair during return journey

Device: Serum holder connected to the wheelchair; Device: wheelchair seat

Interventions

Serum holder connected to the wheelchair DEVICE

Serum holder connected to the wheelchair

Wheelchair test 1; Wheelchair test 2

wheelchair seat DEVICE

wheelchair seat

Wheelchair test 1; Wheelchair test 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Informed patient and signed informed consent
• Age equal or greater than 18
• Speak and read french
• For serum holder connected to wheelchair only : patients with multiple infusion devices and transported in wheelchair
• For wheelchair seat : patients transported in wheelchair from hospitalized unit to radiology department

You may not qualify if:

• disoriented or confused patient
• Patients under judicial protection (curatorship, tutorship) and/or deprived of freedom
• pregnant or breastfeeding women

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gustave Roussy

Villejuif, 94800, France

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 24, 2025
• First Posted: March 30, 2025
• Study Start: June 16, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 19, 2025
• Study Completion: August 19, 2025
• Last Updated: September 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)