Comparative trial of the effects of continuous locomotion training provided at pharmacies: a pilot study

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RESEARCH ARTICLE

(2020) 6:24

Open Access

Comparative trial of the effects of continuous locomotion training provided at pharmacies: a pilot study Chigusa Kikuchi1,2* , Kyoko Yamaguchi2, Masayo Kojima3, Haruyuki Asai4, Rika Nakao5, Yoshifusa Otake6, Junya Nagata7, Shinpei Matsunami8, Asako Horiba9 and Tadashi Suzuki1,2

Abstract Background: While the world’s population is growing older, healthy life expectancy is not increasing. The Japanese Orthopedic Association proposed the concept of ‘locomotive syndrome,’ manifested as a decline in mobility functions, and introduced a short test battery for assessing the risk of this syndrome. The test battery includes the ‘stand-up test,’ ‘two-step test,’ and ‘25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale’ (25-question GLFS). The purpose of locomotion training is to improve and sustain standing and gait functions. However, the place where locomotion training can be provided and followed up has not been decided upon. Therefore, a study was conducted to explore the effect of locomotive syndrome improvement by continuous locomotion training provided at community pharmacies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pharmacists’ instructions and follow-up on the compliance and effectiveness of locomotion training. Methods: The inclusion criteria were 1) age ≥ 65 years and 2) decline in mobility functions. Guidance on how to perform locomotion training was provided by a pharmacist at the pharmacy. The participants performed locomotion training at home. They were tested and instructed at the pharmacy once a month for 3 months. The main outcome measures were test battery results and the percentage of number of days participants who were able to do the training at home. Results: Eleven participants were analysed. The minimum implementation percentage was 78%. Improvements were observed in 25-question GLFS, muscle strength, and standing time on one leg. Three participants no longer showed a noticeable decline in mobility function. Conclusion: Continuous locomotion training provided at pharmacies could contribute to locomotive syndrome prevention. Trial registration: This study was registered with the University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; identification No. UMIN000027963. Registered 28 June 2017). Keywords: Pharmacy, Elderly, Locomotive syndrome, Locomotion training, Community, Health support

* Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan 2 Educational Research Centre for Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabe-dori, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any med