Using Accelerometers to Count Steps After Surgery
Author Information
Author(s): Spiros Tsamassiotis, Michael Schwarze, Philipp Gehring, Roman F. Karkosch, Lars‐René Tücking, Ann‐Kathrin Einfeldt, Eike Jakubowitz
Primary Institution: Hannover Medical School
Hypothesis
Only accelerometers can accurately determine the number of steps taken by orthopaedic patients in the early post-operative phase.
Conclusion
Commercial wearables can only accurately count steps under specific conditions in the early post-operative period, while accelerometers appear suitable for this purpose.
Supporting Evidence
- The AX6 accelerometer showed the lowest relative error compared to other wearables.
- Accuracy improved with increased walking speed, but the AX6 performed differently than other devices.
- Only the AX6 and Fitbit provided acceptable measurements with walking aids.
Takeaway
This study found that special devices called accelerometers can count how many steps patients take after surgery, even when they use walking aids.
Methodology
The study involved 20 healthy subjects walking with different aids and wearables, comparing their step counts to a gold standard of visual counting.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the small sample size and the specific population studied (healthy medical students).
Limitations
The study had a small number of participants and only included healthy subjects, which may not represent all orthopaedic patients.
Participant Demographics
20 medical students, 7 females and 13 males, average age 25.1 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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