Hospital patients get a game plan to beat bedrest

NCT ID NCT04300764

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study aimed to see if making physical activity into a game could help older hospital patients move more. Participants would have received daily text messages, set step goals, earned points, and worn a Fitbit to track their steps. The study was withdrawn before any patients were enrolled, so no results are available.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Gamification intervention (daily text messages, goal setting, points, and Fitbit wearable)
What this could lead to: If it had worked, this approach could have helped hospitalized patients become more active, potentially reducing complications and improving recovery.
What could go wrong: The study was withdrawn before any participants were enrolled, so no data was collected. The approach may not have been effective or practical in a hospital setting.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Expected to start

Jan 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

50 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Admitted to a medicine or cardiology floor in the hospital * Age 50 years or older * Have an AMPAC (mobility scale) score of greater than or equal to 21 or a Braden mobility sub-scale score of 4. Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to provide informed consent * Does not have daily access to a smartphone compatible with the wearable device and not willing to use a device that the study team can provide * Inpatient AMPAC score of less than 21 or a Braden mobility sub-scale score less than 4 indicating that independent physical activity may not be appropriate for the patient * Are already enrolled in another physical activity study * Any conditions that would prohibit participation in an inpatient physical activity program (at the discretion of attending physician or nurse caring for the patient in the hospital). To minimize the risk of contamination across study arms, we will only approach one patient per hospital room in shared rooms

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

coronary artery disorder Coronary Disease diabetes mellitus Dyslipidemias heart failure hyperlipidemia hypertensive disorder inherited lipid metabolism disorder Obesity obesity disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Coronary artery disease Coronary heart disease Diabete mellitus Dyslipidemias Heart failure Hypertension Obesity

Hospital patients get a game plan to beat bedrest

What the study statuses mean