Monitoring postoperative ambulation and sleep after head and neck surgery: A feasibility and utility study using wearable devices

Background To evaluate use of wearable activity devices to monitor trends in ambulation and sleep after head and neck surgery. Methods Patients utilized Fitbit devices after surgery. Daily activity and sleep scores, step counts, and total sleep time (TST) were obtained. Results There were 30 patients within the final cohort. Trends in step counts after specific procedures were identified, and higher subjective activity level correlated with step counts (r = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.07-0.41). Among patients with complete step data (n = 24), POD1 steps >= 200 were associated with reduced length of stay (4.5 +/- 1.7 days vs. 7.2 +/- 4.0 days, 95% CI = 0.33-5.0). Mean TST was 5.4 +/- 2.5 h, TST correlated with subjective sleep scores (r = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.03-0.044), and clinical events associated with sleep-wake transitions on Fitbit devices were identified. Conclusions Wearable activity devices appear feasible for monitoring trends in postoperative ambulation and sleep. Use of these devices may facilitate postoperative recovery.