Effect of Using a Reminder to Encourage Patients to be Active During Their Hospital Stay: a Multicenter Randomised Controlled Double Blind Study

What this Trial Is About

About 30% of patients aged 65 and older experience a decline in their ability to function after being hospitalized. This decline often results from spending too much time inactive during hospital stays, which can lead to loss of independence and muscle strength. The study aims to evaluate whether using a vibrating watch as a reminder to encourage physical activity can help improve patients' functional capacity during their hospital stay. Participants will receive usual care from physiotherapists, including walking, muscle strengthening exercises, and respiratory physiotherapy if needed. They will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will receive a vibrating watch set to vibrate six times a day as a prompt to exercise or walk, while the control group will receive a watch that vibrates once daily. Patients will be asked to perform the prescribed exercises independently each time the watch vibrates. During the study, researchers will assess physical activity levels, functional independence, compliance with exercises, and quality of life at various time points, including within 24 hours of admission and 48 hours before discharge, as well as three months after discharge. They will also monitor falls and rehabilitation volume and location. Participants' progress will be closely followed to understand the impact of these reminders on their recovery and safety over time.

Effect of Using a Reminder to Encourage Patients to be Active During Their Hospital Stay.