title: Quantifying functional mobility progress for chronic disease management.
abstract: A method for quantifying improvements in functional mobility is presented based on patient-worn accelerometer devices. For patients with cardiovascular, respiratory, or other chronic disease, increasing the amount of functional mobility is a large component of rehabilitation programs. We have conducted an observational trial on the use of accelerometers for quantifying mobility improvements in a small group of chronic disease patients (n=15, 48 - 86 yrs). Cognitive impairments precluded complex instrumentation of patients, and movement data was obtained from a single 2-axis accelerometer device worn at the hip. In our trial, movement data collected from accelerometer devices was classified into Lying vs Sitting/Standing vs Walking/Activity movements. This classification enabled the amount of walking to be quantified and graphically presented to clinicians and carers for feedback on exercise efficacy. Presenting long term trends in this data to patients also provides valuable feedback for self managed care and assisting with compliance.
authors.affiliation: E-Health Res. Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Qld., Australia. justin.boyle@csiro.au
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Mohan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karunanithi
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wark
authors.forename: Wilbur
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colavitti
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009068:Movement; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014741:Video Recording; D016138:Walking