Validating an Activity Monitor for Acute Care Patients: The Patient/Resident Mobility Tracker (PREEMPT).

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of physical activity is crucial for hospitalized patients and older adults.
• Existing activity monitors may not be suitable for the unique needs of inpatient settings.
• The Patient Resident Mobility Tracker (PREEMPT) was developed to address these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the accuracy and usability of the PREEMPT activity monitor.
• To assess the device's suitability for hospitalized individuals and healthy older adults.
• To compare PREEMPT-derived mobility metrics with objective video data.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy older adults and 46 hospitalized patients participated in the study.
• Participants wore the PREEMPT device during various physical activities.
• PREEMPT data for stride length, steps, stepping time, sedentary time, and activity time were compared to video recordings.
• Participant feedback on device usability was collected using Likert scale questions.

Main Results:

• PREEMPT measurements showed statistical equivalence to criterion data across all five mobility metrics (geometric mean ratio 0.97-0.99).
• The device demonstrated high accuracy with statistically significant p-values ranging from 0.043 to <0.001.
• The PREEMPT device achieved an average usability score of 9.4/10, indicating comfort and positive reception.

Conclusions:

• The prototype PREEMPT device demonstrates initial validity and accuracy in both healthy older adults and hospitalized patients.
• The findings support the PREEMPT device's capability to accurately measure physical activity in a relatively immobile inpatient population.
• The device is a promising tool for monitoring mobility in clinical and research settings.