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The Bern Rehab Registry

Recruiting
Conditions
Cancer
Pulmonary Disease
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Interventions
Other: Comprehensive disease-specific rehabilitation
Registration Number
NCT06516172
Lead Sponsor
Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
Brief Summary

This study examines the health outcomes of patients with long-term illnesses such as cancer, heart, lung, or musculoskeletal diseases who participate in a rehabilitation programme. The programme may involve staying in a facility (inpatient), visiting a facility (outpatient), home-based care supported by digital health tools (telerehabilitation), or a combination of facility- and home-based options.

The key health outcomes being measured include physical fitness and strength, body composition (like body fat and muscle mass), specific risk factors related to the diseases, and patients' self-reported health and experience outcomes, such as feelings of anxiety, depression, fatigue, overall quality of life, and satisfaction with the rehabilitation programme.

These measurements provide important information about the patients' lung, heart, and muscle health, as well as their mental well-being. They also help to predict the likelihood of further health complications, the chance of needing to be hospitalized again, and overall quality of life. This information is useful for improving the quality of care, tailoring future provision of rehabilitation services and long-term care for patients with chronic conditions.

Additionally, the study will provide insights into how new technologies like telerehabilitation are implemented, including how well they are adopted, followed, and accepted by patients.

Detailed Description

Background:

The global demographic landscape is shifting towards an aging population, coupled with a rise in chronic, non-communicable diseases that contribute to disability and escalating healthcare costs. Recognizing this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified rehabilitation as a key strategy for health in the 21st century.

Aim:

The aim of this prospective cohort study is to assess the outcomes of disease-specific comprehensive rehabilitation programmes at a tertiary referral center to improve the quality of care and formulate novel research questions.

Methods:

Consecutive patients with cancer, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or pulmonary diseases, referred for comprehensive rehabilitation to the Centre for Rehabilitation \& Sports Medicine (two locations - Berner Reha Centre and Inselspital) of the Insel Group, Bern, Switzerland, will be included. Patients will be counselled by trained advanced practice nurses, and type of delivery of the rehabilitation programme will be based on medical needs and patient preferences. Three-week inpatient programmes are performed at the Berner Reha Centre and Inselspital. Twelve-week outpatient programmes are performed at the Inselspital and delivered as centre-based, digitally-enhanced centre- and home-based, or home-based digital/tele rehabilitation.

Outcome assessments will be based on the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organisation.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
30000
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients aged 18 years and older with a chronic non-communicable disease
  • Signed general informed consent
  • Referral to a comprehensive disease-specific rehabilitation program
Exclusion Criteria
  • Refuted or missing general informed consent for further use of health-related data and samples.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Patients with cancerComprehensive disease-specific rehabilitationAge 18+ years, indication for cancer rehabilitation
Patients with musculoskeletal diseasesComprehensive disease-specific rehabilitationAge 18+ years, indication for musculoskeletal rehabilitation
Patients with pulmonary diseasesComprehensive disease-specific rehabilitationAge 18+ years, indication for pulmonary rehabilitation
Patients with cardiovascular diseasesComprehensive disease-specific rehabilitationAge 18+ years, indication for cardiovascular rehabilitation
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Short-term change (absolute and percentage) in cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as peak oxygen uptake (ml/min/kg) or 6 minute walking test (m)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes)

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Long-term change (absolute and percentage) in cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as peak oxygen uptake (ml/min/kg) or 6 minute walking test (m)From discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Short- and long-term change (absolute and percentage) in the Extended Barthel Index (EBI, range from 0 to 64) or the Functional Independence Measure (FIM, range from 0 to 126), higher values indicate better levels physical and/or mental functioningFrom rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients participating in inpatient rehabilitation, stratified by cohort

Short- and long-term change (absolute and percentage) in muscle mass index, measured by body impedance analysis (kg/height2)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in HbA1c (percentage)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Composite outcome, stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of anxiety, measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire score (range from 0 to 21, higher values indicate more severe anxiety)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of depression, measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score (range from 0 to 27, higher values indicate more severe depression)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of health-related quality of life, measured by MacNew questionnaire score (range 0 to 7, higher values indicate better QoL)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients with heart disease participating in inpatient cardiac rehabilitation

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of health-related quality of life, measured by Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire score (range 1 to 7, higher values indicate better QoL)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients with pulmonary disease, stratified by type of delivery

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in body fat, assessed by body impedance analysis (%)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term change (absolute and percentage) in muscle strength, measured by grip strength (kg)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of health-related quality of life, measured by HearQoL questionnaire score (range from 0 to 3, higher values indicate better QoL)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients with heart disease participating in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation or telerehabilitation

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in LDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in body mass index (kg/m2)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in adherence to guideline-directed medical therapies (percentage of recommended medical substances taken)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of health-related quality of life, measured by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General questionnaire score (range 1 to 5, higher values indicate better QoL)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients with cancer, stratified by type of delivery

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in steps per day, assessed by wrist-worn accelerometer (n)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in markers of health-related quality of life, measured by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-23 score (range from 0 to 100, higher values indicate better QoL)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

In patients with heart failure, stratified by type of delivery

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in office systolic blood pressure (mmHg)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in hsCRP (mg/l)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Return to work (yes, no)At rehabilitation discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and at one year follow-up

Stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Short- and long-term changes (absolute and percentage) in smoking status, assessed by questionnaire (current, former, non-smoker)From rehabilitation entry to discharge (3 weeks for inpatient, 12 weeks for outpatient programmes) and from discharge to one year follow-up

Composite outcome, stratified by type of delivery and cohort

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Reha Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Centre for Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine, Insel Group

🇨🇭

Bern, Switzerland

Berner Reha Centre, Centre for Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine, Insel Group

🇨🇭

Heiligenschwendi, Bern, Switzerland

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