Physiotherapy students Hannah Thomason and Honey Rodda are supporting patients and staff at a local hospital by raising awareness of how bed rest can increase frailty in older people.
The second year students are currently on placement at the William Harvey Hospital working with the physiotherapy team.
As part of their placement, they are undertaking a project based on hospital-associated deconditioning. It aims to increase awareness of deconditioning and identify strategies to minimise the risk of patient deterioration during their stay in hospital.
Deconditioning is a decrease in muscle mass and overall function associated with prolonged immobility. It leads to functional decline and compounds conditions such as frailty. Each day of bed rest equates to up to five per cent loss of muscle strength in older people.
Early mobilisation is a critical factor for recovery, and research has shown that supporting patients to be physically active during their stay in hospital made them feel free and autonomous.
Hannah and Honey have produced posters to raise awareness of this important issue, which also links to the hospital’s improvement plan. Reducing patient falls is a key area for improvement, and deconditioning can increase the risk of falls.
