Mobilisation in the EveNing to TreAt Delirium

Summary

Patients with severe illness require lifesaving treatment in intensive care units. Around a third of patients admitted to intensive care develop delirium. This is a severe state of confusion. Delirium can be a frightening experience. Patients suffering from delirium can find it difficult to think clearly or understand what is happening. In some cases delirium can cause people to see or hear things that are not really there. Patients who develop delirium tend to spend longer in hospital and have worse overall outcomes. A major cause for the development of delirium is poor sleep. Previous research suggests that delirium levels can be reduced when patients are more active. The investigators have noticed that when patients in intensive care have physiotherapy during the day, they are often very tired and fall asleep quickly afterwards. The investigators think that patients who have physiotherapy in the evening will sleep better overnight and hope this will subsequently reduce the number who develop delirium.

To answer this question the investigators need to compare patients who are active in the evening with those who only have physiotherapy sessions during the day. Before a full study can take place it is important to make sure it is designed in the best way. To do this, 60 patients will be recruited from 2 hospitals in the UK over 6 months. Half of those who agree to take part will be seen by the physiotherapist in the evening, the other half will not. The investigators will then ask the following questions before deciding whether to do a full study

1. Will patients agree to be a part of this trial?
2. Will they agree to the additional physiotherapy sessions offered in the evening?
3. Will patients and staff members be happy for us to randomly select who receives this extra treatment?

Conditions

• Critical Illness
• Sleep Disturbance
• Mobility Limitation
• Intensive Care Unit Delirium

Interventions

OTHER

Evening mobilisation

Evening mobilisation delivered between (19.00 and 21.00) according to standardised procedures and established safety criteria. The intervention will begin on day 1 of admission or the first evening following recruitment. Mobilisation will be defined as a score of ≥ 2 on the Manchester mobility score (sit on the edge of the bed or higher), with actual mobilisation level achieved and duration of intervention based on clinical decision of the mobilisation therapists. Patients will also be offered the opportunity to engage in activities which may be part of their normal evening routines (e.g. brushing teeth, reading or watching television). The intervention will be carried out for up to seven consecutive evenings. The evening mobilisation will be delivered in addition to any input from the MDT during normal daily working hours and will not replace any standard therapy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• David McWilliams, PhD · University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-07-01

Primary Completion

2022-10-31

Completion

2022-11-30

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations