Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found a mobility monitor can help determine the right length of stay for surgery patients, according to a study in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Researchers used FitBit, a wireless activity tracker, to remotely monitor the number of steps taken by elderly patients recovering from surgery.
Results showed the patients who walked the most had the shortest length of stay, and the most mobile were more likely to be discharged home rather than to a nursing facility. By setting mobility baselines, hospitals can make better-informed decisions about patients' required lengths of stay, and provide interventions to patients not healing quickly enough.
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