Self-monitoring of Physical Activity After Hospital Discharge in Patients Who Have Undergone Gastrointestinal or Lung Cancer Surgery: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Abstract

Background Self-monitoring of physical activity (PA) using an accelerometer is a promising intervention to stimulate PA after hospital discharge. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of PA self-monitoring after discharge in patients who have undergone gastrointestinal or lung cancer surgery. Methods A mixed methods study was conducted in which 41 patients with cancer scheduled for lobectomy, esophageal resection, or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy were included. Preoperatively, patients received an ankle-worn accelerometer and the corresponding mobile health app to familiarize themselves with its use. The use was continued for up to 6 weeks after surgery. Feasibility criteria related to the study procedures, the System Usability Scale, and user experiences were established. In addition, 6 patients were selected to participate in semistructured interviews. Results The percentage of patients willing to participate in the study (68/90, 76%) and the final participation rate (57/90, 63%) were considered good. The retention rate was acceptable (41/57, 72%), whereas the rate of missing accelerometer data was relatively high (31%). The mean System Usability Scale score was good (77.3). Interviewed patients mentioned that the accelerometer and app were easy to use, motivated them to be more physically active, and provided postdischarge support. The technical shortcomings and comfort of the ankle straps should be improved. Conclusions Self-monitoring of PA after discharge appears to be feasible based on good system usability and predominantly positive user experiences in patients with cancer after lobectomy, esophageal resection, or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Solving technical problems and improving the comfort of the ankle strap may reduce the number of dropouts and missing data in clinical use and follow-up studies.

Improving physical activity in hospitalized patients: The preliminary effectiveness of a goal-directed movement intervention

“…This study stated the user experiences of patients were largely positive. 36 Despite most of the users are satisfied with the intervention, the score might indicate that there is room for improvement to achieve long-term changes. To minimize the effort for healthcare professionals to use the movement sensor, the software platform used to link a movement sensor to a patient, to visualize physical activity data and to apply goal-setting was integrated in the electronic patient record.…”

M-Health in lung cancer: A literature review

“…The patients received an ankle-worn accelerometer and the corresponding m-Health App for up to 6 weeks after surgery, and 63% of the participants completed the study with an acceptable System Usability Scale score (77.3) and a favourable perception about their increase in physical activity motivation. 24 Healthcare providers strongly advise that patients who have undergone LC resection engage in physical activity after surgery. Ji et al recruited 14 participants who underwent LC resection to participate in a 4-week, home-based walking exercise intervention after discharge consisting of one-on-one interviews and the registration of duration and intensity exercise using a sport watch App.…”

“…The patients received an ankle-worn accelerometer and the corresponding m-Health App for up to 6 weeks after surgery, and 63% of the participants completed the study with an acceptable System Usability Scale score (77.3) and a favourable perception about their increase in physical activity motivation. 24 …”

Using Continuous Passive Assessment Technology to Describe Health and Behavior Patterns Preceding and Following a Cancer Diagnosis in Older Adults: Proof-of-Concept Case Series Study

“…Continuous passive assessment techniques could be useful in the context of cancer to monitor changes in health and behavior across survivorship. Clinicians have expressed a high level of acceptance toward using digital health data for planning cancer care [ 4 ], and cancer survivors have reported to be comfortable self-monitoring various health conditions after discharge from the hospital [ 5 ]. Passive assessments provide reliable complementary data compared with in-person collected data [ 6 ] and could be more ecologically valid when tracking cancer survivors’ health over time.…”