Communication for early mobilisation after hip fracture (VOICE-HF) 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Communication practices to achieve early mobilisation of people living with dementia following surgery for hip fracture: a conversation analytical study (‘VideOing to Improve Communication through Education - Hip Fracture’; VOICE-HF).
IRAS ID
350619
Contact name
Sarah Field-Richards
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
Aim
We will identify the best way for healthcare staff to say things to get a person living with dementia to stand or walk after surgery for a broken hip.Background
About half of people who break their hip have dementia. Fewer than half return to their pre-fracture mobility. To achieve the best recovery we need to do surgery quickly to fix the fracture, then get the person out of bed and on their feet by the next day – ‘early mobilisation’. This is done by physiotherapists, nurses and their assistants.People with dementia are less likely to mobilise early. The way we say things can be important in determining the response from patients, especially those with dementia. Some health professionals are better at persuasion than others.
Design
We use a research method called ‘Conversation Analysis’, which looks at the fine detail of the language we use and responses to it. We will make video-recordings of real-life ward care, when healthcare staff are helping a person with dementia get up early after hip fracture surgery. We will involve patients in decisions to take part and get agreement from their families before we record anything.We will record 50 episodes of care on three trauma-orthopaedic wards. We will identify ‘teachable’ strategies: specific, explicit, practical advice, on ways of speaking or sequences of requests or instructions. We will work with people with dementia, family carers, educators and hospital staff to do this. We will use clips of the video in future communication skills training.
Dissemination
Our findings will be immediately useable by staff on wards. We will publish findings in journals, share at conferences, and put them on a website that we developed for a related study on language that avoids or helps resolve distress and challenging behaviour.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
25/WA/0353
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion