Physiotherapy Effects on Function, Ambulation, and Independence in Palliative Cancer Care

June 12, 2026 updated by: Nujud Halawi, University of Jazan

Short-Term Effects of Physiotherapy on Functional Status, Ambulation, and Independence in Palliative Care Cancer Patients at Jazan Specialist Hospital: A Prospective Quasi Experimental Study

This study examines the short-term effects of physiotherapy on functional status, ambulation, and independence among patients admitted to the palliative care unit at Jazan Specialist Hospital. The study hypothesizes that a short-term individualized physiotherapy program will lead to measurable improvements in functional outcomes as assessed by the Barthel Index (BI), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A prospective single-group pre-post quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Palliative Care Unit at Jazan Specialist Hospital, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, between August 2025 and April 2026. Sixty patients were managed during the study period; of these, 32 patients with complete paired pre- and post-intervention assessments were included in the final statistical analysis. Patients received an individualized physiotherapy program once daily for one week (7 sessions), with each session lasting approximately 45-60 minutes. The intervention included range-of-motion exercises, manual therapy, strengthening exercises, stretching, mobility training, transfer training, ambulation exercises, positioning, and chest physiotherapy. Outcome measures included the Barthel Index (BI), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS). Pre- and post-intervention data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
32

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Saudi Arabia
      • Jizan, Saudi Arabia, 86611
        • Jazan Health Cluster

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Adult patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the palliative care unit with a confirmed diagnosis of advanced cancer.
  2. Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) score of 40 or above.
  3. Clinically stable and conscious at the time of recruitment.
  4. Capable of providing informed consent, either personally or through a legal guardian.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pre-terminal or unstable clinical condition that precluded safe physiotherapy participation. 2. PPS score below 40 indicating severely reduced functional status.

3. Unconsciousness or inability to engage meaningfully in physiotherapy sessions.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Experimental: Physiotherapy Intervention Group
Individualized Physiotherapy Program Participants received an individualized physiotherapy program delivered once daily for one week (7 sessions), each lasting approximately 45-60 minutes. The program included: range-of-motion exercises, manual therapy, strengthening exercises, stretching, mobility training, transfer training, ambulation exercises, positioning, and chest physiotherapy, as clinically appropriate. The program was tailored to each patient's functional status, clinical condition, and tolerance, with modifications made according to daily clinical assessment. Outcome measures: Barthel Index (BI), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) assessed at baseline (within 24-48 hours of recruitment) and after completion of the one-week intervention (day 7).
Other: Experimental: Physiotherapy Intervention Group
Individualized Physiotherapy Program Participants received an individualized physiotherapy program delivered once daily for one week (7 sessions), each lasting approximately 45-60 minutes. The program included: range-of-motion exercises, manual therapy, strengthening exercises, stretching, mobility training, transfer training, ambulation exercises, positioning, and chest physiotherapy, as clinically appropriate. The program was tailored to each patient's functional status, clinical condition, and tolerance, with modifications made according to daily clinical assessment. Outcome measures: Barthel Index (BI), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), and Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) assessed at baseline (within 24-48 hours of recruitment) and after completion of the one-week intervention (day 7).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Improvement in Barthel Index (BI)
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline (within 24-48 hours of recruitment). Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]
The BI assesses independence in activities of daily living, with higher scores indicating greater independence. Scores range from 0 to 100.
[Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline (within 24-48 hours of recruitment). Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]
Improvement in Functional Ambulation Category (FAC)
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline. Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]
The FAC assesses walking ability and level of assistance required for ambulation. Scores range from 0 (non-ambulatory) to 5 (independent ambulation on all surfaces).
[Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline. Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]
Improvement in Palliative Performance Scale (PPS)
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline. Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]
The PPS assesses overall functional status in palliative care, with higher scores indicating better functional performance. Scores range from 0 to 100 in increments of 10.
[Time Frame: Timepoint 1 = Baseline. Timepoint 2 = Post-intervention (day 7 or at discharge).]

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Jazan

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nujud Halawi, University of Jazan

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 13, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UJazan_NHalawi

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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