Prevention of Functional and Cognitive Impairment Through a Multicomponent Exercise Program in Hospitalized Elderly: Study Protocol for a Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial

The hospitalized elderly patient is conditioned by a series of circumstances unrelated to the pathological process itself that caused hospital admission and that usually worsen the results of hospitalization. In fact, the implementation of care models different from the traditional ones has shown a clear benefit in the functional results of these patients in the short and medium term. However, the components of these models that explain these better results have not been differentially evaluated. Some examples of these circumstances are the usual orders of absolute rest without any objective criteria for patients who are able to wander, the perpetuation of continuous fluid therapy, physical and chemical restraints, unnecessary permanent probes, etc. On numerous occasions, hospitalized elderly patients spend most of their time in bed, reaching even more than 83% of bedridden compared to 4% of those who stand up or are walking. The average time that a geriatric patient walks during their hospitalization ranges from 7 to 43 minutes/day. This population, by having their functional and physiological reserve reduced, are more vulnerable to the effects, for example, of bedridden, which range from functional loss or cognitive impairment, to longer stays, mortality and institutionalization, worse emotional situation, delirium, deconditioning, aspirations, pressure ulcers, and falls, decreased caloric intake, social isolation, poorer quality of life, and greater use of health-related resources. This study is a multicenter randomized clinical trial to be conducted in the acute care for elderly (ACE) units of three tertiary hospitals in Spain - Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (CHN), Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja de Madrid (HCCRM) and Complejo Hospitalario Universitario of Albacete (CHUA). After randomization, the research team (physiotherapist, sport science specialist and geriatrician) will together perform the baseline measurement and follow-up visits of functional, pharmacological, comorbidity and cognitive assessment, as well as of mobility and strength evaluations. The intervention will consist of a multicomponent exercise training programme, which will be composed of supervised progressive resistance exercise training, balance-training and walking for 4 consecutive days. During the training period, patients will be trained in 20 min sessions twice a day (morning and evening).