Wearables help boost post-surgery physical activity

An intervention using wearable devices increased physical activity among lung cancer patients six months after surgery, indicating that healthcare wearables could play a role in rehabilitation programs, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.

Wearable device use in healthcare has grown exponentially in recent years. One 2023 survey revealed that 35% of U.S. adults were using wearable healthcare devices, a jump of 8 percentage points from 2018. One-third of survey respondents (31%) said their top reason for owning and using a wearable device was to achieve their fitness goals.

Researchers from the U.S. and South Korea set out to evaluate whether these devices could influence physical activity post-lung cancer surgery. They also examined the effects of wearable device use on cardiopulmonary function and health-related quality of life.

They conducted a nonrandomized clinical trial between Oct. 18, 2018, and May 24, 2019. They compared data of patients with suspected or confirmed non-small cell lung cancer scheduled for surgery who underwent a wearable device-based intervention with data from a historical control group that received standard care. Data for the latter was collected between Sept. 20, 2017, and Sept. 10, 2018.

The intervention group received a personalized exercise regimen, which they were asked to perform five days a week at home. They were also provided with a guidebook on how to perform the muscle strength exercises. Throughout the intervention period, which spanned preoperative, immediate postoperative, and two- to six-month postoperative phases, patients were given a wearable device that monitored their step count, activity intensity, activity time, frequency, and heart rate during exercise to provide real-time feedback.

Further, an exercise physiologist used the wearable device data to counsel the patient through weekly or biweekly telephone calls and set goals for gradual increases in the number of daily steps and time spent on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The study included 74 patients in the intervention group and 120 in the control group. Overall, daily step count and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity decreased two weeks after surgery but increased afterward.

However, six months after surgery, the intervention group had increased their daily steps, whereas the control group had not returned to their baseline number of daily steps. The intervention group had a daily step count of 12,321 versus 10,118 among the control group. The intervention group also displayed more time spent on vigorous physical activity (33.6 minutes) compared with the control group (18.5 minutes) at six months after surgery.

Further, the intervention group had better patient-reported physical function, less dyspnea -- the sensation of running out of breath -- and less pain at two weeks after surgery compared with the control group.

"This finding supports the development of personalized exercise regimens with wearable devices, advocating for their inclusion in comprehensive perioperative rehabilitation programs," the researchers concluded.

The research adds to growing evidence showing wearables can enhance post-procedure recovery.

A study published in 2023 showed that hospitalized patients who used wearable devices had better physical activity levels and physical functioning compared to patients who did not. The researchers analyzed 15 studies that included 1,911 participants. The studies assessed the use of wearables among hospitalized patients.

The researchers found a strong correlation between wearable device-based interventions and higher physical activity. They also noted that improvements in physical function were more significant in the wearables group compared to those who received standard care.

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.