Activity Aprons for Inpatients Requiring Individual Nursing Assignment Care: A Prospective Randomized Controlled...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Activity aprons are used for patients with dementia in home and long-term care settings.
• Inpatient use of activity aprons was hypothesized to reduce self-harm, nursing supervision, and restraint use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and feasibility of activity aprons for inpatients.
• To assess the impact of activity aprons on hospitalization duration, nursing assignments, and restraint use.

Main Methods:

• A single-center prospective randomized controlled pilot study.
• 30 patients were randomized to either activity apron plus standard care or standard care alone.
• Stratified randomization was based on age and cognitive impairment diagnosis.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant reduction in mean hospital stay or duration of individual nursing assignment was observed.
• Antipsychotic medication use was not significantly different between groups.
• No complications related to activity apron use were reported, indicating safety.

Conclusions:

• Activity aprons are a safe addition to standard care for hospitalized encephalopathic patients.
• These aprons may be a valuable component of interventions for delirium and encephalopathy.