Measuring Patient Ambulation in Post-Operative Recovery

Early ambulation in post-operative patients has shown benefits including shorter length of stay and/or fewer complications. Accelerometers have been found as useful instruments in encouraging ambulation in patients. Accelerometers are non-invasive devices that can evaluate changes in movement, gait, and ambulatory activity. Although these devices can be beneficial, little research exists on the best way to engage patients in ambulation, how to develop a standard ambulation protocol, and the best algorithms to measure ambulation post-operation. This study seeks to develop a standardized activity tracker and program that will encourage patient ambulation and allow patients and healthcare providers to view the progress of daily walking goals.

A total of 3,000 patients will be asked if they would like to participate in this study. A healthcare provider will explain to the patient the benefits of getting out of bed, sitting, and walking after an invasive procedure. Patients who decide to participate will be given an accelerometer during their pre-operation visit or after their surgery while still in the hospital. Patients will be asked to wear the accelerometer continuously during waking hours. The accelerometer will provide patients with daily walking goals, reminders of when it is time to walk, track step count, record time of walk, and duration of walk. Patients will be asked to wear the accelerometer until their post-op visit (about 30 days).

The following data points will be analyzed:

• Relationship between ambulation and patient outcomes
• Relationship between ambulation and other health factors
• Effectiveness of prototype platform to motivate and monitor patient activity