Gamification to Increase Mobility in the Hospital

NCT04300764 | Withdrawn

• 1 other identifier: 834466
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Low mobility is a mediator for poor outcomes of hospital care. Wearable devices will be used and 2-way texting via patient smartphones to monitor patients' physical activity during hospitalization with and without gamification to improve patient adherence to existing guidance on recommended activity. After discharge, investigators will assess patient care utilization (SNF, inpatient vs home rehab, ED visits, readmission) and conduct validated surveys on patient function at 30 days after discharge.

Conditions

Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Heart Disease; Hypertension; Diabete Mellitus; Dyslipidemias; Obesity; Heart Failure

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in mean daily step count during hospitalization

  The primary outcome variable is the change in mean daily step count during hospitalization (from enrollment to discharge).

  Average 5 days

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Proportion of patients who attain pre-specified step thresholds during hospitalization and after discharge

  Average 35 days

• Hospital length of stay

  Average 5 days

• Discharge to post-acute facilities

  30 days

• 30-day acute care utilization

  30 days

• Change in activities of daily living

  Average 35 days

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will be recruited during an inpatient stay and given a Fitbit watch that will transmit data to the Way to Health study platform. Control participants' steps will be passively monitored. Data will continue to be collected for 30 days after discharge.

Gamification Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be recruited during an inpatient stay and given a Fitbit watch that will transmit data to the Way to Health study platform. Intervention patients will receive daily text messages to help them set goals, receive feedback and support on their progress towards daily goals, and receive points for daily goals achieved. Data will continue to be collected for 30 days after discharge.

Behavioral: Gamification Intervention

Interventions

Gamification Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Intervention participants will receive daily text messages to help them set goals, receive feedback and support on their progress towards daily goals, and receive points for daily goals achieved. Each participant will be given a Fitbit watch that will transmit data to the Way to Health study platform. Data will be passively collected during the inpatient stay and for 30 days after hospital discharge.

Gamification Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Coronary Artery Disease; Coronary Disease; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus; Dyslipidemias; Obesity; Heart Failure

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Myocardial Ischemia; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Lipid Metabolism Disorders; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2020
• First Posted: March 9, 2020
• Study Start: January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: December 30, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

US (1)