None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this innovation is to reduce in hospital trip hazards, improve nursing staff utilisation on the wards, increase mobility aid adherence, increase adherence to post-operative orthopaedic precautions. With the bottom-line to reduce the number of risk factors that lead to in hospital falls. To test the effectiveness of this innovation I would like to propose a pilot study with hospital-based intervention research design. With a follow-up questionnaire to allow for comparisons to be made between the intervention and the control group.
Interventions
Title: Magnetic walking aid attachments (MWA) for walking sticks and elbow crutches.
WHY: Patients require walking aids post joint replacement. Failure to use these aids, or difficulty accessing the aid, Can lead to adverse outcomes such as inappropriate weight-bearing, loss of balance and falls. This study will investigate whether a MWA's enables simpler, safer and more secure access to a mobility assistive device and increases walking aid acceptability within the hospital after joint replaceme
Title: Magnetic walking aid attachments (MWA) for walking sticks and elbow crutches. WHY: Patients require walking aids post joint replacement. Failure to use these aids, or difficulty accessing the aid, Can lead to adverse outcomes such as inappropriate weight-bearing, loss of balance and falls. This study will investigate whether a MWA's enables simpler, safer and more secure access to a mobility assistive device and increases walking aid acceptability within the hospital after joint replacement compared to standard walking aids, i.e., the normal standard of care (SOC). Standard of care (SOC) in the context of the this trial includes participants using non magnetics walking aids. All participants will receive hospital level standard of care including medications, hospital facilities and multidisciplinary care. WHAT: Magnetic rubber-coated discs with a velcro strap to allow the magnet to be fastened to walking sticks and elbow crutches. Thin metal plates (iron) 10cm by 10cm with double-sided tape to be placed on the wall in standardised locations to provide a ferromagnetic surface for the MWA's. WHO PROVIDED: Magnetic walking aids to be prescribed by a Physiotherapist along with standard walking aid prescription. Standard walking aid prescription involves measuring the walking aid to the patients requirements and providing a demonstration on how to use walking aid safely by a trained physiotherapist. MODE: In-person face to face during initial physiotherapy mobility assessment WHERE: The intervention is used throughout participants in-hospital stay. Including the hospital wards and physiotherapy treatment area. FREQUENCY: The participants that have been allocated to the intervention group are to use their prescribed MWA for the duration of their hospital stay (approximately 8 days). MEASUREMENT: Mobility aid accessibility will be measured by the number of times the walking aid was dropped on the floor with self-reported logbooks. Mobility aid acceptability will be measured using a follow-up questionnaire at the end of the participant's hospital stay. TAILORED: N/A PLANNED: MWA's have been anecdotally trialled with real patients to assess practicality ACTUAL: The anecdotal study showed people were open to MWA's
Sponsors
Wolper Jewish Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inpatient Requiring a Walking stick or Elbow crutch to mobilize. Total hip or total knee replacement within the last 4 weeks. Exclude cognitively impaired, nil stroke, nil Parkinson’s Disease.
Exclusion criteria
Cognitively impaired based on past medical history on admission. Not mobilizing with either a walking stick, elbow crutch or axillary crutch prior to admission hospital. Does not have the strength to pull the magnetic walking aid off the wall.
Outcome results
None listed