Communication for Early Mobilisation of People Living With Dementia Following Surgery for Hip Fracture (VOICE-HF)

February 10, 2026 updated by: University of Nottingham

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)

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.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Research question: What healthcare professional (HCP) communication practices are effective in achieving early and continued mobilisation among people living with dementia (PLWD) following hip fracture surgery?

Background: 75,000 people are admitted to hospital with a hip fracture each year, half of whom have dementia. Outcomes are worse for PLWD. Fewer than half regain their pre-fracture mobility and a third die within a year. Best practice is for rapid fracture surgery, and early mobilisation - getting out of bed, standing or walking, by the day after surgery. This is associated with better outcomes, fewer complications and shorter hospital stay. PLWD are less likely to mobilise early. Dementia affects communication, judgement and reasoning. PLWD may be less able to communicate pain, anxiety, understand and follow HCP instructions, and see the benefits of mobilising early. Practitioners vary in how they communicate. Identifying HCP communication practices that are effective in achieving early mobilisation ('what works') will allow the description and dissemination of best practice.

Methods: 'Conversation analysis' (CA), is a socio-linguistic research method, which looks at the fine detail of the language we use and responses to it. We will use CA to identify specific and teachable communication practices that HCPs use. We will recruit up to 100 healthcare professionals, up to 50 people with dementia and up to 50 family members or friends who may be present during the video recording. We will recruit HCPs in advance, and PLWD, if possible, before their surgery. We will video record up to 50 interactions on 3 trauma orthopaedic wards when HCPs are supporting PLWD to mobilise. CA will be used to reveal systematic patterns in interactions, and successful practices. We have experience in conducting video research with PLWD on acute wards. We will use an established protocol for recruitment, consent and data collection, developed with user input and acceptable to ethics committees.

Findings: Findings will inform practical communication guidelines for HCPs, which will be immediately useable by staff on wards.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients, healthcare professionals, relatives/friends on 3 trauma orthopaedic wards at one acute hospital

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

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

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 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.

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Qualitative research
Time Frame: 1 year
Conversation analysis
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Nottingham

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 (Estimated)

February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 25055
  • NIHR208740 (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Institute for Health Research)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Qualitative data - restrictive consent provisions.

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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