Evaluation of the impact of non-slip socks on the motor recovery of elderly people in acute care hospitals: Protocol for a randomized, controlled trial study

BACKGROUND: Older patients often arrive in acute care wards with inappropriate footwear. Hospitals may provide non-slip socks to improve the patients’ safety. However, few studies have been conducted on the benefits of non-slip socks. A recent literature review found only two randomized controlled studies that evaluated non-slip socks, but the socks were not the primary focus of the studies. The aim of this study is therefore to specifically evaluate the benefits of non-slip socks on gait in hospitalized older people. METHODS: This open, randomized, controlled trial will include patients aged 75 years and over, hospitalized in an acute medical unit. Patients will be randomized to either remain barefoot or wear non-slip socks throughout their stay. The primary outcome is gait speed, assessed on Day 1 and Day 8. DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial should provide clinicians with a scientific rational for the recommendation, or not, of the use of non-slip socks for older patients in acute care hospitals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ on May 12, 2021 under the reference: NCT04882696 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04882696