[Postoperative mobilization after total hip arthroplasty : Measured by Fitbit activity trackers]

Patients are becoming increasingly more independent and self-determined, in addition to having shorter post-operative hospitalization. This is why it is more important than ever to actively involve patients in the follow-up treatment. The question arises as to whether post-operative rehabilitation can be improved with modern devices.

As part of a prospective study, the post-operative mobilization was recorded and analyzed by Fitbit®-activity-trackers between 05/2016 and 08/2017 in 100 patients who received a THA. 50 men (Ø 70.6y) and 50 women (Ø 71.1y) were included. Furthermore, the patients were interviewed about their acceptance of the Fitbit®-wristband.

The average hospital stay was 7.98 days (SD ± 1.76). The number of steps on the first post-operative day was 712 (SD ± 617). On average (during total hospitalization), 1528 (SD ± 1076) steps were completed daily. One day before discharge, the average number of steps was 2165 (SD ± 1570) on that particular day. There were no gender differences in age and pre-operative Harris hip scores (♂55.3 vs. ♀53.9). Also, there were no statistically significant differences in the number of steps on the first postoperative day (♂745 vs. ♀678). A statistically significant result can be found in the number of steps prior to discharge: on this day, the men took 2483 and the women 1846 steps (p = 0.04). 42% of our patients own a modern smartphone and are able to operate software applications. 52% of the patients found the activity tracker to be motivating, 65% were open to new technologies (e.g. activity trackers) in the hospital. 14% did not check at all or only queried their wristband data once a day, 65% queried 2-4 times/day, and 21% retrieved the data >5 times/day.

On average, 1528 steps were completed daily. In a comparison of the men and women, the men were only able to demonstrate significantly more steps than the women on the day prior to discharge. The men had significantly shorter hospital stays than the women. The younger the patients, the more mobile they were. A majority of patients are familiar with and/or interested in new technologies. This interest and curiosity should be consciously used for integration in the post-operative treatment.