Wearable Activity Tracker Interventions Improved Physical Function in Hospitalized Patients

A recent study found higher physical activity was observed in association with use of wearable activity trackers among hospitalized patients. The study was a systematic review, with results published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

This review included information obtained from studies identified through searches of OVID MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, EmCare, PEDro, SportDiscuss, and Scopus databases, in addition to the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization Clinical Trials Registry. The review included both randomized and nonrandomized trials.

The trials included in this review involved hospitalized adults using wearable activity trackers for increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior. Meta-analyses involved pooled data from the included studies, and primary outcomes included objectively measured physical activity or sedentary behavior.

The 15 studies reflected 1911 patients overall who were hospitalized for surgery, stroke rehabilitation, orthopedic rehabilitation, mixed rehabilitation, and mixed medical.

In an evaluation of 14 studies, the researchers found a significant link between wearable activity tracker interventions and increased overall physical activity, compared with control groups (standardized mean difference, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.15-0.54; P <.001).

In 2 studies evaluating sedentary behavior, use of wearable activity tracker interventions was associated with reduced sedentary behavior (mean difference, −35.46 min/day; 95% CI, −57.43 to −13.48; P =.002).

The amount of active time was also higher in patients using wearable activity tracker interventions, compared with those in the control group (mean difference, 9.75 min/day; 95% CI, 0.65-18.84; P =.04).

In studies including daily step counts, a significant association was seen between wearable activity tracker interventions and a greater daily step count (mean difference, 826.08 steps/day; 95% CI, 416.92-1235.24; P <.001), in comparison with control groups.

Wearable activity tracker interventions also showed a slight association with improvements in physical function (standardized mean difference, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.081-0.46; P =.006), compared with usual care. However, the use of wearable activity tracker interventions did not appear to be significantly associated with pain, mental health, hospital length of stay, or risk of readmission.

The study investigators concluded that wearable activity tracker interventions were linked to significantly higher physical activity and lower sedentary behavior in patients while hospitalized. Additionally, although use of the devices had potential clinical benefits for patients, no benefits in terms of hospital efficiency outcomes were observed.

Reference

Szeto K, Arnold J, Singh B, Gower B, Simpson CEM, Maher C. Interventions using wearable activity trackers to improve patient physical activity and other outcomes in adults who are hospitalized: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(6):e2318478. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18478