Can a smartphone game help young HIV patients stay on track?
NCT ID NCT07115498
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tested a text-message game called iTAG that uses points, a scoreboard, and motivational messages to encourage young people with HIV in Ghana to take their medication regularly. Twenty-one participants aged 18-24 received the game for 90 days. Researchers measured medication adherence and viral load before and after the intervention to see if the game was acceptable and could improve adherence.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- text-message game with point system and scoreboard
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a low-cost way to help young people with HIV take their medication regularly, improving their health and reducing virus spread.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 21 people, no control group, and no long-term follow-up. The results may not apply to other settings or populations.
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
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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.
- Participants
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21 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2025
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 24 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Between ages 18-24 * In treatment for HIV at our recruitment site * Read English and speak English or a language spoken by clinic staff * On ART medication * Own a mobile phone * Evidence of recent ART non-adherence * Evidence of a detectable viral load in the past 3 months Exclusion Criteria: * Physically or cognitively impaired * Participation in another ART adherence intervention
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
Kumasi, Ghana
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