title: Actigraphy: analyzing patient movement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Actigraphic data during simulated participant movements were evaluated to differentiate among patient behavior states.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arm and leg actigraphic data were collected on 30 volunteers who simulated 3 behavioral states (calm, restless, agitated) for 10 minutes; counts of observed participant movements (head, torso, extremities) were documented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of participants was 34.7 years, and 60% were female. Average movement was significantly different among the states (P < .0001; calm [mean = .48], restless [mean = 2.16], agitated [mean = 3.75]). Mean actigraphic measures were significantly different among states for both arm (P < .0001; calm [mean = 6.8], restless [mean = 28.5], agitated [mean = 52.6]) and leg (P < .0001; calm [mean = 3.5], restless [mean = 18.7], agitated [mean = 37.7]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Distinct levels of behavioral states were successfully simulated. Actigraphic data can provide an objective indicator of patient activity over a variety of behavioral states, and these data may offer a standard for comparison among these states.
authors: Adult Health and Nursing Systems Department, School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23219, USA. mjgrap@vcu.edu
authors: Mary Jo
authors: MJ
authors: Grap
authors: Virginia A
authors: VA
authors: Hamilton
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: McNallen
authors: Jessica M
authors: JM
authors: Ketchum
authors: Al M
authors: AM
authors: Best
authors: Nyimas Y Isti
authors: NY
authors: Arief
authors: Paul A
authors: PA
authors: Wetzel
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000451:nursing* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016544:Patient Simulation; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted