Hospital-Acquired Deconditioning (HAD) is a complex, multi-domain syndrome that can occur during a hospital stay in as little as 72-hours, which can lead to significant harms. This project aimed to develop and test a clinical assessment tool for the purposes of identifying and monitoring HAD in hospital in-patients.
Funded by the Six Goals Programme and Value Transformation, and led by CEDAR, a mixed-methods evaluation involved a literature review, stakeholder consultation through a nationwide staff survey and focus groups, and interviews with people who have lived experience of HAD. A clinical assessment tool was developed and underwent two rounds of testing where reports and staff feedback were sought. The clinical assessment tool is being rolled out across hospitals in Wales to aid in the identification of HAD, and additional work is being planned to validate the tool.