title: Promoting Activity in Geriatric Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Accelerometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low activity levels in inpatient rehabilitation are associated with adverse outcomes. The study aimed to test whether activity levels can be increased by the provision of monitored activity data to patients and clinicians in the context of explicit goal setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized controlled trial in three sites in Australia included 255 inpatients aged 60 and older who had a rehabilitation goal to become ambulant. The primary outcome was patients' walking time measured by accelerometers during the rehabilitation admission. Walking times from accelerometry were made available daily to treating therapists and intervention participants to motivate patients to improve incidental activity levels and reach set goals. For the control group, 'usual care' was followed, including the setting of mobility goals; however, for this group, neither staff nor patients received data on walking times to aid the setting of daily walking time targets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median daily walking time in the intervention group increased from 10.3 minutes at baseline to 32.1 minutes at day 28, compared with an increase from 9.5 to 26.5 minutes per day in the control group. Subjects in the intervention group had significantly higher non-therapy walking time by about 7 minutes [mean (95% CI): 24.6 (21.7, 27.4)] compared to those in the control group [mean(95% CI): 17.3 (14.4, 20.3)] (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Daily feedback to patients and therapists using an accelerometer increased walking times during rehabilitation admissions. The results of this study suggest objective monitoring of activity levels could provide clinicians with information on clinically important, mobility-related activities to assist goal setting.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000034932 http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/.
authors: Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Nancye M
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3038-8881
authors: NM
authors: Peel
authors: Clinical Trials & Biostatistics Unit, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Sanjoy K
authors: SK
authors: Paul
authors: John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Ian D
authors: ID
authors: Cameron
authors: Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Crotty
authors: Division of Rehabilitation and Aged Care, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Susan E
authors: SE
authors: Kurrle
authors: Centre for Research in Geriatric Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Leonard C
authors: LC
authors: Gray
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000379:methods*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking