Actigraphy: analyzing patient movement.
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.
Grap
Mary Jo
MJ
Adult Health and Nursing Systems Department, School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23219, USA. mjgrap@vcu.edu
Hamilton
Virginia A
VA
McNallen
Ann
A
Ketchum
Jessica M
JM
Best
Al M
AM
Arief
Nyimas Y Isti
NY
Wetzel
Paul A
PA
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