A SINGLE CENTRE PILOT RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF AN AUTOMATED BEDSIDE REHABILITATION CHAIR ON MOBILITY, FUNCTIONAL DECLINE AND MAINTENANCE OF PRE-MORBID BASIC ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING INDEPENDENCE AMONG HOSPITALISED FEMALE SENIORS AGED 65 AND ABOVE.

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the impact of an Automated Bedside Rehabilitation Chair (ABRC) on mobility, Functional Decline (FD) and Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) independence among hospitalised female seniors aged 65 and above. Background: Seniors have increased risk for sarcopenia, decrease mobility associated with bed rest during hospitalisation which threatens their functional status and BADL independence. Locally, there are no studies exploring the effects of technology leveraged purpose-built rehabilitation devices for geriatric patients. ABRC is designed with safe low impact repetitive exercises and gamified features to reduce workload on Health Care Professionals (HCP) and encourage patients to exercise independently. Design: A single-centre, pilot, parallel, open labelled Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted from July 22, 2019 to November 19, 2019. Participants (N=30) were conveniently selected from an acute ward in a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. Methods: The Control Group (CG) received Treatment-As-Usual (TAU), which included therapist-driven rehabilitation. The Intervention Group (IG) received TAU and ABRC intervention for a maximum of 7 valid days. Mobility was measured by total number of steps (ActivPAL), FD used Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) timings and BADL independence used Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (KIADL) score. Results: 30 female participants were included in the analyses (100%); mean (SD) age was 76.0 (7.3) years. Compared to the CG, the IG demonstrated a significant improvement in KIADL scores 1.00 points (95% CI, 1.00 to 2.00 points); p=0.004 and TUG timings -0.07 seconds (95% CI, -0.22 to -0.04 points); p=0.001 between admission and discharge. Participants in the IG reported positive perceptions towards ABRC intervention. Two out of the three hypotheses tested were statically significant. Conclusion: Results discovered significant improvement in the FD and BADL independence. Results suggested examining the institutions fall precaution practices to improve mobility. ABRC intervention is worthy of further investigation.