Researching the Effects of Sleep on Step Count During the Postoperative Period Following Surgery for Hip Fracture

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of sleep duration and quality on post-operative mobility in older adults admitted to hospital with a hip fracture. The hypothesis is that poor sleep will independently predict low post-operative mobility (measured by number of steps). Recent developments in activity monitor technology allow for the collection of reliable assessments of movement and sleep rhythm during surgical recovery.

The Fitbit® Alta HR activity monitor will be used for this study. When the participant is awake and alert after surgery and informed consent has been obtained, a study team member will fasten the Fitbit® device on the wrist of the participants' non-dominant hand. Investigators will monitor sleep quality and daily steps taken for the duration of hospitalization, with the option to discontinue if clinically required or requested by the patient or provider. At the time of discharge, the wearable biosensor will be reset and the information will be erased from its memory. The wearable biosensors will be cleaned with disinfectant used for durable medical equipment.

The study population will include patients aged 65+ admitted with hip fracture to the orthopedic ward (E2) at the Juravinski Hospital. Descriptive data on patients admitted with hip fracture will be collected including age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, diagnosis of dementia, pre-hospital living accommodation, mobility aids, level of pre-admission mobility using the functional independence measure (FIM), and number of beds per room. Timing of surgery (within 24 hours, 48 hours, or more than 48 hours) after admission, highest reported daily pain score and foley catheter use will also be collected from the medical record. The use of sleep medications will be tracked each night during the study period. The physiotherapy notes will be screened for information on total distance ambulated in meters and in-hospital mobility progression. Post-operative complications such as Stroke, Cardiac event, Pneumonia, Venous thromboembolism, GI tract bleed, Urinary tract infections, Postoperative anemia, Acute Kidney Injury, and Pressure sores will be tracked from the medical record. Investigators will also contact participants by phone after 30 days have elapsed since discharge to inquire about mortality, FIM score and location of disposition.

The primary outcome is the total number of steps taken by participants during each 24-hour period after surgery for hip fracture. Mean daily steps will be calculated based on the number of days the activity monitor was worn. Secondary outcomes will be delirium prevalence, hospital length of stay, post-operative complications, 30-day post-discharge mortality, mobility status (FIM - locomotion subscale score), and location of disposition. The primary behavioural exposure is monitoring of sleep duration (measured by total sleep time in minutes) and quality (number of awakenings per night). Daytime naps will also be recorded.

One of the key strengths of this study is that both the primary outcome and the key exposure are measured using a single device, which improves the reliability and efficiency of data collection