Validation of an automated up‐timer for measurement of mobility in older adults

Abstract

Objective: To test the reliability, validity and utility of an "up-timer", an automated device to measure time spent standing and walking.Design: Repeat measurement of mobility one week apart in a convenience sample. Setting: Hostel and nursing homes in Melbourne.Participants: 26 hostel and 24 nursing home residents (aged 70-99 years) participated. They were mobile, with or without the use of walking aids or personal assistance. Outcome measures:"Up-time" (measured with the up-timer); functional activity (measured with the Barthel Index, Functional Independence Measure, Timed Up & Go, and Human Activity Profile); and disability (measured by the Rapid Disability Rating Scale). Results:The test-retest reliability of the up-timer was high (Pearson's r=0.84; P<0.001). Pearson's correlation between the up-timer results and results of functional and disability measures ranged from r=0.47 to r=0.55. The functional measures correlated more highly among themselves (r=0.79 to r=0.92). The performance-based Timed Up & Go test had moderate levels of correlation with both the up-timer and the functional measures. Use of the device was well accepted by both participants and staff. Conclusions:The up-timer is a practical, objective and reliable means of measuring mobility. The useful information it provides is different from, but overlaps with, that obtained from subjective observation or self report. It will complement existing subjective and performance-based measures of activity and mobility.

Prevalence of Pain in Nursing Home Residents With Different Cognitive and Communicative Abilities

“…26 It has also been used in the setting of a nursing home/hostel where it showed good correlation with the Functional Independence Measure (r = 0.78) and the Barthel Index (r = 0.80). 27 …”

Variability in the measurement of uptime in children: a preliminary study

“…3 The single mercury tilt switch in units used in the previous study was replaced by three mercury tilt switches, which sensed the three-dimensional position of the thigh relative to gravity. This modi cation ensured that there was no possibility of false recordings of uptime when a person was not upright.…”

“…Uptime provides new information about a patient's response to rehabilitation that complements other outcome measures currently in use. 3 In patients with chronic pain it has been shown that as uptime increases there is a corresponding decrease in symptoms of pain and an improvement in functional capacity. 1,2 However, no research to date has reported the measurement of uptime in children.…”

“…The reliability and validity of uptimers in adults have been demonstrated by comparing uptime as recorded by an uptimer with uptime recorded by an independent observer using a stopwatch. [1][2][3][4][5] This study is the rst investigation of the use of uptimers in a paediatric population. As there was no existing information regarding the measurement of uptime in children, the aim of this study was to examine variability in the measurement of uptime in normal children.…”

“…'Uptimers' are battery-operated devices that record uptime by the activation of a mercury tilt switch. [1][2][3][4][5] These devices are attached to the outside the thigh, and respond to changes in relation to gravity. When the person wearing the uptimer is in an upright position, the device records uptime, and when they are seated or reclining the device records downtime.…”