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

30% of patients aged 65 or older will experience a decline in functional capacity as a result of hospitalization.

Illness and hospitalization increase sedentary behavior in patients. It is common for patients to spend long periods of time resting in bed, regardless of their primary reason for admission. During hospitalization, nearly 60% of episodes of bed rest have no documented medical indications. Low physical activity during hospitalization can lead to impaired independence, loss of muscle strength, and decreased functional capacity. These losses in frail individuals are associated with increased disability and lead to a critical 30-day period after hospital discharge that exacerbates deconditioning. This period of increasing functional vulnerability can lead to readmission to hospital, disability, institutionalization, morbidity, and early mortality.

The results of a meta-analysis show that walking slowly for about 25-40 minutes per day is sufficient to improve patients' functional capacity during hospitalization. The organization of care to promote patient mobility must be reviewed to make patients more involved in their care and more independent.

It has been demonstrated for some time that the use of a reminder system (e.g., alarm) is a factor that promotes increased patient adherence to their treatments. The advantage of a vibrating reminder is that it is simple to use, very inexpensive, easy to implement in all hospital wards, and does not require additional human resources.

The main hypothesis of this study is that the use of a vibrating watch set to 6 reminders per day to prompt patients to perform muscle strengthening exercises or walk a distance determined by the rehabilitation professional will increase patients' functional capacity.

• Volume and intensity of physical activity [Срок оценки: Within 24 hours of admission and within 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital.]
• functional independancy [Срок оценки: Within 24 hours of admission and within 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital.]
• Patient compliance to the prescribed exercises [Срок оценки: Within 24 hours of baseline and within 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital]
• falls [Срок оценки: Within 24 hours of baseline and within 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital ; and at 3 months after discharge.]
• Volume and type of rehabilitation in-hospital [Срок оценки: Within 24 hours of baseline and within 48 hours prior to discharge from hospital]
• The volume and location of rehabilitation [Срок оценки: at 3 months after discharge]
• Health-related Quality of life [Срок оценки: 24 hours after admission, 48 hours before discharge, and 3 months after hospitalization]