---
title: Physical Therapy Guidelines For Hospitalized Elderly
nct_id: NCT03297567
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: Universidade Cidade de Sao Paulo
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Physical Activity
countries: Brazil
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03297567.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03297567"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2019-10-04
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:32:04.613Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Physical Therapy Guidelines For Hospitalized Elderly

**Official Title:** Control Group, Randomized, Blind Assessment of Physical Therapy Guidelines For Hospitalized Elderly

**NCT ID:** [NCT03297567](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03297567)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 68
- **Lead Sponsor:** Universidade Cidade de Sao Paulo
- **Conditions:** Physical Activity, Hospitalization, Aged, Exercise
- **Start Date:** 2017-09-30
- **Completion Date:** 2019-02-28
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2019-10-04

## Brief Summary

Introduction: The level of physical activity decreases progressively with age. Elderly subjects who are physically active have lower rates of morbidity and mortality when compared to those inactive. Hospitalization leads to long periods of bed rest and physical inactivity, with consequent muscle atrophy, generalized weakness, and decreased independence and functionality. Therefore, preventing inactivity, loss of muscle strength and the worsening of functional performance during hospitalization may be a way to avoid loss of independence. And while movement has been increasingly promoted as an important part of the recovery of hospitalized patients, many of them still spend much of the time bedridden while in hospital. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a guiding program on the importance of remaining active during hospitalization in relation to the level of physical activity, functionality and muscular strength of elderly patients and to identify the main barriers that impede them to perform physical activities in the hospital environment. Methods: Randomized and controlled trial which will include elderly patients admitted to the Respiratory Diseases and Medical Clinic wards of the Institute of Medical Assistance to State Public Servants, in São Paulo. The intervention group will receive verbal guidelines and one booklet on the deleterious effects of hospitalization and the importance of staying active during hospitalization. All patients will be evaluated through accelerometry to identify the level of physical activity during hospitalization. Functionality will be evaluated through the DEMMI scale, muscular strength through handgrip and the main barriers to stay active during hospitalization by applying a questionnaire. The days of hospitalization and the clinical complications presented by the patients during the stay in the hospital will be noted. The difference of the outcomes of the level of physical activity and functionality before and after the intervention will be compared between the control and the intervention group through a t-test. The length of hospital stay will be analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier test and the incidence of complications by the chi-square test.

## Detailed Description

Experimental Design: Patients located during the study period and who meet the eligibility criteria will be invited to participate and, after signing the informed consent form, will be evaluated for anthropometric and clinical characteristics. At this moment, patients will be randomized into two groups: intervention and control. The intervention group will receive verbal guidance and a booklet developed by the authors on the deleterious effects of hospitalization and the importance of staying active during hospital admission on the day they are included in the study. The control group will not receive any type of intervention, nor even verbal guidance. Patients from both groups will have an accelerometer placed on the wrist in the dominant limb, which should only be removed at hospital discharge. Besides the level of physical activity, patients will be evaluated for functionality, peripheral muscle strength, length of hospital stay, and incidence of complications during the hospitalization period. The researchers will contact the patients via telephone within 72 hours after hospital discharge in order to apply a questionnaire for identification of the main barriers to stay active during hospitalization.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 60 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Admitted in the last 48 hours to the Respiratory Diseases and Medical Clinic wards
* Patients should not present restrictions to leave the bed
* Patients should not present need for professional help or accompanying person for locomotion
* Patients should not present local restriction for the placement of accelerometers (skin infections, amputation or fracture in the dominant limb)
* Patients should not present contact or respiratory isolation
* Patients should not present difficulty in understanding the guidelines or evaluations

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients requiring hospital transfer
* Patients in need of surgical intervention
* Patients who not use the accelerometer during the proposed evaluation period
```

## Arms

- **verbal guidance and booklet** (EXPERIMENTAL) — verbal guidance and a booklet on the importance and benefits of movement during hospital stay, as well as what the patients should do to increase the level of physical activity.
- **No Intervention** (NO_INTERVENTION) — The control group will not receive any type of intervention

## Interventions

- **verbal guidance and a booklet** (BEHAVIORAL) — Patients allocated to the intervention group will receive verbal instruction from the researchers on the importance and benefits of movement during hospital stay, as well as what they should do to increase the level of physical activity. These patients will receive the same guidelines through a playable, easy-to-understand and inexpensive booklet developed by the researchers themselves in PowerPoint 2016 (Microsoft) in order to remedy any doubt or forgetfulness during the hospitalization period

## Primary Outcomes

- **Level of physical activity** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_ — This variable will be evaluated by means of accelerometry using the an ActiGraph accelerometer (Actigraph Inc, USA) placed on the wrist of the patient's dominant limb in the first 48 h of admission. The calibration will be performed 24 hours a day, during the entire period of hospitalization, and will be removed only at the moment of hospital discharge. The equipment is waterproof, so there is no need to remove it for bath or personal hygiene, and its battery lasts up to 20 days of consecutive collection. The Actigraph GT3X records the number of steps, the time in different body positions, the intensity of movements and predicts the metabolic rate

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Functionality** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_
- **Peripheral Muscular Strength** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_
- **Length of hospital stay** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_
- **Incidence of complications** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_
- **Barriers to stay active during hospitalization** _(time frame: 72 hours after hospital discharge)_
- **Number of Physiotherapy sessions** _(time frame: All patients will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 7 days)_

## Locations (1)

- Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual, São Paulo, Brazil

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.instituto de assistência médica ao servidor público estadual|são paulo||brazil` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT03297567.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03297567*  
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