Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Using a Reminder to Encourage Patients to be Active During Their Hospital Stay.

Around 30% of patients aged 65 and over experience functional decline due to hospitalization. Physical inactivity, often without medical justification, is common during hospital stays.This immobility leads to loss of autonomy, muscle strength, and increases post-discharge risks. Slow walking for 25-40 minutes daily significantly improves functional capacity. However, it could be difficult to reach this time of walking due to a lack of physiotherapist in hospital. A vibrating watch may encourage patients to walk or perform strengthening exercises. This simple intervention aims to improve function without requiring additional staff or resources

EMUs: Enhanced Monitoring Using Sensors After Surgery

Patients can become critically unwell following surgical operations. Delay in recognition of this deterioration can result in patient harm and even death. Wearable wireless sensors that record patients vital signs such as heart rate could help improve recognition of patient deterioration. The goal of this observational study: Enhanced Monitoring Using Sensors After Surgery (EMUs) is to determine if data from wearable physiological monitors can be used for the early detection of postoperative deterioration, while being acceptable to patients and healthcare staff. The study participants and surgical inpatients undergoing open surgery. There are 3 objectives which each represent a stage of the study: 1. To perform usability testing of device with clinicians, nurses, and healthcare workers in non-clinical environment. 2. To determine baseline postoperative monitoring practice across our network and perform device usability testing in clinical environment. 3. To perform a shadow-mode cohort study with collection of time-stamped sensor clinical event data to determine relationships between physiological waveforms and patient deterioration. This registration focuses on the shadow-mode cohort study. Participants will wear wireless sensors on their chest and fingers, pre-, intra-, and post-operatively for up to 10 days. The sensors will record their vital signs such as heart rate, and oxygen levels. This will then be analysed, and used to aid the design of early detection algorithms that may be able to predict clinical illness or complications in this patient group. This is an observational study gathering real time data only. No changes in patient care will result, and in Stages 2 and 3 no sensor data will be available to clinical teams. This study will be performed in departments of general surgery in Benin, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom.

Impact of Facility Dog Intervention on Pediatric Patients

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if medical dog intervention facilitated by a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) impacts pediatric patient coping, fear, and anxiety during inpatient admissions. The main questions it aims to answer are: What impact does facility dog support via a CCLS have on patient fear, coping, and anxiety? What effect does facility dog support via a CCLS have on patient heart rate? Researchers will compare medical dog intervention facilitated by a CCLS, CCLS intervention, and a coloring activity to see if medical dog interventions positively impact coping, fear, and anxiety. Participants will: Receive a visit from a medical dog and their CCLS handler, a CCLS, or a Child Life Activity coordinator. Engage in a mindfulness or coloring activity. Answer surveys regarding anxiety, coping, and fear. Have their heart rate measured before, during, and after their assigned intervention.

Increasing Physical Activity Among Medical Inpatients by Digital Nudging of Patients and Staff

Sedentary behaviour among medical inpatients is strongly associated with hospital-associated functional decline and poses a severe threat to patients' functional capacity and independency. High human and socioeconomic costs underline the urgency to find solutions to this world-wide problem. Objective: This multicentre study, including a total of 400 patients from Copenhagen, Aalborg, Tórshavn, and Nuuk, will assess the effect of a digital intervention that aims to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity in medical inpatients. Intervention: Digital feedback and nudging regarding the patients' physical activity levels to patients and healthcare staff Design: Stepped-wedge cluster randomised multicentre trial Primary outcome: Daily average time of patients' physical activity (minutes).

A Trial of Extended Reality Activities to Enhance Leisure Participation Among Inpatients With Persistent Mental Health Conditions

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of an extended reality (XR)-enhanced occupational therapy leisure intervention on motivation, emotional engagement, and therapeutic participation among inpatients with chronic psychiatric conditions. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can the XR intervention improve leisure motivation, leisure-related attitudes, and emotional coping strategies in long-term hospitalized individuals with mental illness? Does the XR intervention promote improvements in psychological health, volition, and occupational performance? Researchers will compare an XR-based leisure therapy group to a usual care group engaged in standard hospital leisure activities such as art, music, or reading. Participants will take part in weekly 40-minute sessions for 6 weeks. The XR group will use a custom-designed mobile VR program featuring immersive 360° leisure scenarios aligned with participants' interests and functional goals. Data collection includes standardized assessments (e.g., Interest Checklist, Volitional Questionnaire, COPM, PANSS) and semi-structured interviews to explore changes in motivation, coping, and perceived benefits.

Prevalence of Post Anesthesia Care Unit Complications and Associated Factors

The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is a crucial component of the surgical process, providing patients with vital support and monitoring as they recover from anesthesia. Despite advancements in perioperative anesthesia, PACU complications are still common. PACU organization and setup in low-income country like Ethiopia is poor. Previous research's done in some neighbor African countries presumed to have comparable to sociodemographic and economical profile shows varied degree of incidence and prevalence of PACU complication and associated factors. The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of PACU complications and its associated factors. An institutional based prospective cohort study will be conducted in the PACUs of the three selected tertiary care hospitals in Ethiopia from Februery 15, 2025 to June 30, 2025. These data will be compared with those obtained in a tertiary hospital in Spain.

Pilot Study for the Validity of a Content-based Information Provision Tool Aimed at Improving the Hospitalization Experience of Liver Transplant Patients

The investigators aim to evaluate the improvement of the inpatient experience and the usability of a content-based tool (a brochure). This involves consolidating video content for inpatients on a single website and providing access to it via QR codes in a brochure format. \[Patients\] Considering this as a pilot study, the investigators plan to recruit around 30 participants. Both the experimental and control groups will receive standard care and information, with the experimental group additionally receiving the brochure. Random assignment will be used for the experimental and control groups. Surveys and interviews will be conducted to assess changes in patient experience and usability before and after providing the brochure. \[Medical Staff\] Among the medical staff involved in the liver transplant surgical process, researchers will select participants based on their degree of involvement with the intervention subjects. After obtaining their consent, interviews will be conducted concerning patient experiences and the brochure.