Greenshoots to Chief Investigator: Physiotherapy led research in critical care

BackgroundRehabilitation of patients recovering from critical illness has been a focus of clinical research, however heterogeneity exists in the measurement of physical recovery.Wearable technology offers a simple, unobtrusive method of continuous activity monitoring.However, studies have reported issues with placement of wrist and ankle devices in critically ill patients. AimTo evaluate the feasibility of a thigh-worn accelerometer to measure the physical activity of patients recovering from critical illness. MethodsA prospective observational feasibility study was conducted within a 33-bedded critical care unit over nine weeks.Thigh-worn activPAL TM accelerometers were applied to patients for the duration of their critical care admission. ResultsA total of 12 participants were recruited.Median (IQR) device wear time was 268.35 (299.15)hours or 99.58% of their critical care admission.A priori feasibility success criteria of three days of wear time for more than ten hours were achieved in every participant.Device removal primarily occurred for recharging. ConclusionThe practical application of a thigh-worn accelerometer may be feasible in this population for the duration of admission.As this was a small, single centre study additional research is necessary to further inform and determine the feasibility of this device.