Thoracic SurgeryCULTURECARENCT06893848
Influence of the Culture Care Program on Patient Mobility After Thoracic or Abdominal Surgery: a Mixed-methods Study
A study testing Culture Care program in people with Thoracic Surgery and Abdominal Surgery Patients, run by Haute Ecole ARC Sante at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
A sedentary behavior in the postoperative phase has a negative impact on recovery from various types of surgery (e.g. abdominal, pulmonary, cardiac or esophageal). In fact, sedentary behavior in the days following surgery is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, longer hospital stays and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Thoracic Surgery, Abdominal Surgery Patients, Hospital Mobility
- What is being tested?
- Culture Care program
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 204 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 10 Mar 2025to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Admission to Surgical Units in the Surgical Department of the Hôpital de Neuchâtel implementing the Culture Care program.
- Elective thoracic or abdominal surgery with an expected hospital stay of at least 2 days (i.e. discharge on postoperative day 3).
- Neurocognitive and physical ability to complete questionnaires and individual participation in the Culture Care program.
- Full capacity of discernment and signed informed consent to participate in the study.
Who cannot join
- Outpatient surgery.
- Emergency surgery.
- Mobility severely impaired prior to surgery: patients with 1 or 2 lower-limb amputations, patients with wheelchair mobility only, neurodegenerative diseases.
- Bed restiction between POD 1 and POD 5 for medical reasons, i.e. surgery, post-operative complications or other pre-existing cardiorespiratory, neurological or orthopedic reasons.
- Transfer to ICU
- Only during the Culture Care phase, an unplanned transfer to another unit that does not have the Culture Care program (e.g. Medicine units).
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- Technical problem with the accelerometer (e.g. disfunctioning battery).
- Allergic reaction to any dressing used to attach the accelerometer.
- End-of-life patients.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Switzerland1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Hôpital de Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel, 2000
Marc-Olivier Sauvain, MD PhD, 079 559 49 81 ext. +41, Marc-olivier.sauvain@rhne.ch
About this study
Official title: Culture Care Program: a Mixed-methods Study Evaluating the Effect of an Innovative In-hospital Experience on Patient Mobility After Thoracic or Abdominal Surgery
A sedentary behavior in the postoperative phase has a negative impact on recovery from various types of surgery (e.g. abdominal, pulmonary, cardiac or esophageal). In fact, sedentary behavior in the days following surgery is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, longer hospital stays and, consequently, higher healthcare costs. Stimulating early mobilization and increasing the level of physical activity after surgery therefore remains a relevant current challenge. The Culture Care program will propose a new experience of the hospital towards an attractive and stimulating intrahospital environment, including art and culture. The hypothesis is that the innovative, positive hospital experience offered by the Culture Care program could contribute to increasing patients' mobility in the postoperative phase and thus reduce the sedentary behaviour compared with a control group included before the implementation of the program.
The aim of this study is to explore the effect of the Culture Care program (Control group versus Culture Care group) on the mobility of patients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery, by determining the level of prediction in relation to the influencing covariates reported in the literature.
Read more
The first quantitative part of this research project will compare the mobility of patients hospitalized after surgery, before (control group) and after the implementation of the Culture Care program (Culture Care group). Patients will be asked to wear an accelerometer for the first five post-operative days, and to complete three questionnaires (psychological well-being, physical recovery, perception of their mobility).
Healthcare workers will be asked to complete a survey on their readiness to stimulate patients' mobility before and after the Culture Care program.
The second part will be qualitative including individual semi-structured interviews with patients and healthcare workers during the Culture Care program, to gather their experiences.
- Being tested
- Culture Care program
- Keywords
- Physical activity, Postoperative recovery, Accelerometer, Early mobilization
- Medical subject headings
- Mobility Limitation, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Culture Care programOther
The Culture Care program modernizes the in-hospital environment by including art and culture proposed in the form of an individualized pathway. It will be offered primarily to hospitalized patients, but also available to families, caregivers and healthcare professionals. It will aim to create a new hospital experience, different from the one we've always known.
The Culture Care program will display posters illustrating works of art (paintings, drawings, photographs, etc.) along the hallways. These posters will be interactive, so that a QR code can be scanned to access musical content and audio podcasts (interviews and documentaries) accessible via bone-conduction headphones.
The Culture Care program is likely to reduce the sedentary behavior of hospitalized patients, by providing an attractive in-hospital environment that is likely to produce both physical and psychological benefits.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control group of patients | No intervention | Patients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery in a conventional in-hospital environment (not modified, before the implementation of the Culture Care program). Patients will receive standard of care, including early mobilization prescribed by the physician according to the ERAS guidelines. |
| Culture Care group of patients | Experimental | Patients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery in an in-hospital environment modernized by the Culture Care program. As with control patients, patients in the Culture Care group will receive the similar standard of care, including early mobilization prescribed by the physician according to the ERAS guidelines. Receives: Other: Culture Care program |
| Control group of healthcare workers | No intervention | Healthcare workers working in the surgical units, with a conventional in-hospital environment (before implementation of the Culture Care program) |
| Culture Care group of healthcare workers | Experimental | Healthcare workers working in the surgical units, with an in-hospital environment modernized by the Culture Care program Receives: Other: Culture Care program |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Daily time spent out of bed
This outcome will be assessed by accelerometry
Measured: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3.
Daily steps number
This outcome will be assessed by accelerometry
Measured: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3.
Secondary outcomes (11)
Number of patients mobilized on the day of surgery
Out of bed: sitting in the chair, standing, walking, etc. This outcome will be assessed by accelerometry.
Measured: The day of surgery (Day 0)
Daily steps number
Measured: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 5.
Mean daily duration of physical inactivity, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
Measured: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 5.
Quality of recovery after surgery
This outcome will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery in 15 questions questionnaire (QoR-15) with a 11-point numerical rating scale with a minimum score of 0 (very poor recovery) and a maximum score of 150 (excellent recovery)
Measured: At postoperative day 2 and at discharge (maximum 1 day before)
Psychological well-being
This outcome will be assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale to measure anxiety and depression, with a score of 0 to 7 considered normal, 8 to 10 indicate mild symptoms, 11 to 14 indicate moderate symptoms and 15 to 21 indicate severe symptoms.
Measured: At postoperative day 2
Experience of in-hospital mobility
This outcome will be assessed using a survey with Likert scale questions with seven point scale to express how much they agree or disagree with different statements about barriers and facilitators to mobility during the hospital stay.
In addition, patients will be asked to rate their satisfaction about the in-hospital environment (with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest).
Measured: At postoperative day 2
Postoperative complications rate
This outcome will be assessed using the Comprehensive Complications Index (CCI®), a score ranging from 0 (no complication) to 100 (death).
Measured: From the day of surgery to hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Length of hospital stay
Measured: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Number of patients with adverse events
Adverse events related to early mobilization of patients in the postoperative phase up to discharge, i.e. number of falls or loss of consciousness, accidental removal of drains or catheters
Measured: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Number of adverse events per patients
Adverse events related to early mobilization of patients in the postoperative phase up to discharge, i.e. number of falls or loss of consciousness, accidental removal of drains or catheters
Measured: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Perception of the work environment and readiness to stimulate the mobility of hospitalized patients after surgery
This outcome will be assessed among the healthcare workers via a survey.
Measured: During the 2 month period before the implementation of the Culture Care. This outcome will be assessed 3 month after the implementation of the Culture Care program.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Mar 2025
- Study start10 Mar 2025
- Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Thoracic SurgeryStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- The first part of this project is a quantitative monocentric, non-randomized controlled study comparing a group of participants before implementation of the Culture Care program (control group) with a group of participants after implementation of the Culture Care program (Culture Care group). Participants are hospitalized patients and the healthcare workers. The second part of this project is a qualitative study once the Culture Care program is implemented.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 204 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Haute Ecole ARC Sante
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dugernier Jonathan, Haute Ecole ARC Sante
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06893848
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Study 2024-02620
- Acronym
- CULTURECARE
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 24 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Culture Care Program: a Mixed-methods Study Evaluating the Effect of an Innovative In-hospital Experience on Patient Mobility After Thoracic or Abdominal Surgery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06893848
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CULTURECARE / Study 2024-02620
- Keywords
- Physical activity, Postoperative recovery, Accelerometer, Early mobilization
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 204 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Haute Ecole ARC SanteUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
A sedentary behavior in the postoperative phase has a negative impact on recovery from various types of surgery (e.g. abdominal, pulmonary, cardiac or esophageal). In fact, sedentary behavior in the days following surgery is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, longer hospital stays and, consequently, higher healthcare costs. Stimulating early mobilization and increasing the level of physical activity after surgery therefore remains a relevant current challenge. The Culture Care program will propose a new experience of the hospital towards an attractive and stimulating intrahospital environment, including art and culture. The hypothesis is that the innovative, positive hospital experience offered by the Culture Care program could contribute to increasing patients' mobility in the postoperative phase and thus reduce the sedentary behaviour compared with a control group included before the implementation of the program.
The aim of this study is to explore the effect of the Culture Care program (Control group versus Culture Care group) on the mobility of patients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery, by determining the level of prediction in relation to the influencing covariates reported in the literature.
The first quantitative part of this research project will compare the mobility of patients hospitalized after surgery, before (control group) and after the implementation of the Culture Care program (Culture Care group). Patients will be asked to wear an accelerometer for the first five post-operative days, and to complete three questionnaires (psychological well-being, physical recovery, perception of their mobility).
Healthcare workers will be asked to complete a survey on their readiness to stimulate patients' mobility before and after the Culture Care program.
The second part will be qualitative including individual semi-structured interviews with patients and healthcare workers during the Culture Care program, to gather their experiences.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 4
- Model description
- The first part of this project is a quantitative monocentric, non-randomized controlled study comparing a group of participants before implementation of the Culture Care program (control group) with a group of participants after implementation of the Culture Care program (Culture Care group). Participants are hospitalized patients and the healthcare workers. The second part of this project is a qualitative study once the Culture Care program is implemented.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control group of patients | No intervention | –Patients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery in a conventional in-hospital environment (not modified, before the implementation of the Culture Care program). Patients will receive standard of care, including early mobilization prescribed by the physician according to the ERAS guidelines. |
| Culture Care group of patients | Experimental | Other: Culture Care programPatients hospitalized after thoracic or abdominal surgery in an in-hospital environment modernized by the Culture Care program. As with control patients, patients in the Culture Care group will receive the similar standard of care, including early mobilization prescribed by the physician according to the ERAS guidelines. |
| Control group of healthcare workers | No intervention | –Healthcare workers working in the surgical units, with a conventional in-hospital environment (before implementation of the Culture Care program) |
| Culture Care group of healthcare workers | Experimental | Other: Culture Care programHealthcare workers working in the surgical units, with an in-hospital environment modernized by the Culture Care program |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Admission to Surgical Units in the Surgical Department of the Hôpital de Neuchâtel implementing the Culture Care program.
- Elective thoracic or abdominal surgery with an expected hospital stay of at least 2 days (i.e. discharge on postoperative day 3).
- Neurocognitive and physical ability to complete questionnaires and individual participation in the Culture Care program.
- Full capacity of discernment and signed informed consent to participate in the study.
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Outpatient surgery.
- Emergency surgery.
- Mobility severely impaired prior to surgery: patients with 1 or 2 lower-limb amputations, patients with wheelchair mobility only, neurodegenerative diseases.
- Bed restiction between POD 1 and POD 5 for medical reasons, i.e. surgery, post-operative complications or other pre-existing cardiorespiratory, neurological or orthopedic reasons.
- Transfer to ICU
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Culture Care programThe Culture Care program modernizes the in-hospital environment by including art and culture proposed in the form of an individualized pathway. It will be offered primarily to hospitalized patients, but also available to families, caregivers and healthcare professionals. It will aim to create a new hospital experience, different from the one we've always known. The Culture Care program will display posters illustrating works of art (paintings, drawings, photographs, etc.) along the hallways. These posters will be interactive, so that a QR code can be scanned to access musical content and audio podcasts (interviews and documentaries) accessible via bone-conduction headphones. The Culture Care program is likely to reduce the sedentary behavior of hospitalized patients, by providing an attractive in-hospital environment that is likely to produce both physical and psychological benefits. | Other | Culture Care group of healthcare workers, Culture Care group of patients |
Primary outcome
Daily time spent out of bed
Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3.
This outcome will be assessed by accelerometry
Daily steps number
Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3.
This outcome will be assessed by accelerometry
11 secondary outcomes
Number of patients mobilized on the day of surgery
Time frame: The day of surgery (Day 0)
Daily steps number
Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 5.
Mean daily duration of physical inactivity, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 5.
Quality of recovery after surgery
Time frame: At postoperative day 2 and at discharge (maximum 1 day before)
Psychological well-being
Time frame: At postoperative day 2
Experience of in-hospital mobility
Time frame: At postoperative day 2
Postoperative complications rate
Time frame: From the day of surgery to hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Length of hospital stay
Time frame: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Number of patients with adverse events
Time frame: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Number of adverse events per patients
Time frame: At hospital discharge (from maximum 1 day before discharge to 2 days after discharge)
Perception of the work environment and readiness to stimulate the mobility of hospitalized patients after surgery
Time frame: During the 2 month period before the implementation of the Culture Care. This outcome will be assessed 3 month after the implementation of the Culture Care program.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Culture Care program in people with Thoracic Surgery and Abdominal Surgery Patients, run by Haute Ecole ARC Sante at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jonathan Dugernier, PhD (0783057932 ext. +41, jonathan.dugernier@he-arc.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Daily time spent out of bed (time frame: From postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jun 2026.