Physical activity is the basic for participation and social life. In Hospital older patients have a higher risk for changes in the activity level. In the previous work the results indicate the influence of the promotion of mobility in hospitalized patients by environment, interaction between nurse and patient and behavior influence. Despite of the findings promotion of the physical activities should be embedded in the daily activities of daily living (ADL). The aim of the study is to describe and examine how to measure a defined activity process in patients with technical devices. Further to discuss what technical device can be used in the hospital setting.
Methods
A systematic literature overview was conducted from June to October 2018 to identify studies about devices to measure physical function by objective criteria. The search was performed in the Cochrane library and PROSPERO for systematic reviews and in the databases Medline via PubMed and CINAHL for studies with all other study designs published in the past 20 years. English and German language papers were included. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined. Data were charted and extracted with a standardized extraction sheet by one person. Manufacturer websites were searched for functionality and costs of the devises.
Results
Included studies reported about research conducted in Europe, USA and Australia. Three groups of devises for objective measures of physical activity can be defined: a) Accelerometers, b) camera driven Devices and c) combination of both. The included studies indicated changes in patient’s activity level but body shape based devices need to much technical support. Further studies suggest a feedback enables patients to adjust and train their abilities in the physical activity process. The results of the Reviews state, it’s difficult to compare the result of the different sensor based devices. In the RCTs most sensor based devices like accelerometer are developed to measure walking activities. Regardless of technical problems, patients accept and handle device.
Conclusion
A combination of Accelerometers and camera driven Devices is useful. Therefore technical device, especially embedded in the daily activities of life, can assist to support physical activity in hospitalized patients and prevent functional decline. To underpin this hypothesis more research is needed. Despite of the results a study plan were conducted to test the chosen best matching technical devise in a feasibility study under laboratory conditions with healthy older people and in a hospital setting with older aged patients. The first step of the study plan indicates the modelling of the options in the lab setting with healthy test persons using a 3D camera to construct a computer model of the movements in test persons. In a further step the measurement of physical activity with sensors should be compared with the computer model. The last step indicates a directly feedback of the movement with a tablet. This sensors and tablet based device will be tested in hospitalized patients.