Communication for Early Mobilisation of People Living With Dementia Following Surgery for Hip Fracture

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Conditions studied: Dementia, Hip Fracture, Early Mobilisation, Communication Research, Communication, Communication Skills, Rehabilitation Frail Elderly Subjects, Rehabilitation Strategies for Elderly Post-operative Patients

In brief

This goal of this study is to identify ways that healthcare professionals communicate that are effective in helping a person living with dementia to stand or walk after surgery for a broken hip (hip fracture). We aim to identify 'what works' in successfully helping people with dementia to mobilise early, and share this in practice. The main question the research aims to answer is: What healthcare professional communication practices are effective in achieving early and continued mobilisation among people living with dementia following hip fracture surgery? We will use a research method called 'Conversation Analysis', to look at the fine detail of the language healthcare professionals use and responses to it. We will make video recordings of real-life ward care, when healthcare staff are trying to help a person with dementia get up early after hip fracture surgery. We will involve people with dementia in decisions to take part and get agreement from their families before we record anything. We have done this successfully in two previous studies. We will record up to 50 episodes of care on three trauma orthopaedic wards. We will identify specific, practical recommendations and 'teachable' approaches: ways of speaking, or sequences of requests or instructions. We will work with people with dementia, family carers, educators and clinicians to do this. We will use clips of videos in future communication training.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07418268

Run by

University of Nottingham

People needed

200

Starts

2026-02-01

Expected to finish

2026-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-18

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patient participants will:
• have a documented diagnosis of dementia
• be either waiting for hip fracture surgery or have had hip fracture surgery within the previous 7 days
• have someone who can act as their personal consultee, in case they are assessed as lacking capacity during the study.
• HCP participants will:
• be registered, student or assistant healthcare practitioners
• be involved in assessing, supporting or encouraging PLWD to mobilise post-hip fracture surgery
• work on the relevant wards
• Relative and friend participants will:
• Be visiting a consented patient at a time when an appropriate recording with consented HCPs will take place
• Be a relative or friend of the consented patient who might normally be present during attempts to mobilise the patient after surgery

You may not qualify if…

• Patients will be excluded if we are unable to gain informed consent or consultee agreement, or if they are expected to die within 7 days.

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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