Fitbit for Postoperative Ambulation

Emory University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Postoperative Care

Treatments: Behavioral: Ambulation reminder alarms; Behavioral: Education regarding ambulation; Other: Fitbit

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02833324

IRB00088864

Details and patient eligibility

About

This trial will investigate whether using reminder alarms with a wireless activity tracking device (Fitbit) will increase daily ambulation in individuals who have just had colorectal surgery.

Full description

Early mobilization after surgery has been shown to reduce recovery time, incidence of venous thromboembolism, length of hospital stay and both pulmonary and general post-operative complications. Ambulation is also a main tenant of a fast-track recovery protocol known as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), which is commonly used among colorectal surgical practices and being implanted across other surgical practices. Despite evidence supporting its benefit, early ambulation has been identified as the one of the most difficult clinical interventions to enforce and to measure.

The primary objective of this trial is to investigate whether the use of wireless activity tracking device (Fitbit) with 5 daily reminder alarms will increase daily ambulation on postoperative day 0 until post operative day 9 or hospital discharge (whichever occurs first). Secondary objectives include evaluating the effect of Fitbit as a motivating factor on the frequency of postoperative ileus, time to return of bowel function, number of venous thromboembolism (VTE), pneumonia (PNA) and other pulmonary complications, number of code Medical Emergency Team (MET) alerts, and overall cost saving.

Enrollment: 48 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Undergoing an elective surgical procedure in colorectal services at Emory University Hospital

Exclusion criteria

• Post-surgical admission into the intensive care unit (ICU)
• Have an open abdomen due to surgical complications
• Wound Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) dependent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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48 participants in 2 patient groups

Fitbit with ambulation reminder alarms

Experimental group

Description:

Study participants who are postoperative for colorectal surgery will wear a Fitbit (a wireless activity tracking device) to count steps taken during their postoperative hospitalization. In addition to being educated on the importance of postoperative ambulation, this arm will have 5 alarms every day reminding them to ambulate.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Education regarding ambulation

Other: Fitbit

Behavioral: Ambulation reminder alarms

Fitbit without ambulation reminder alarms

Active Comparator group

Description:

Study participants who are postoperative for colorectal surgery will wear a Fitbit (a wireless activity tracking device) to count steps taken during their postoperative hospitalization. Participants will be educated on the importance of postoperative ambulation but will not have ambulation reminder alarms.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Education regarding ambulation

Other: Fitbit