Giggins, Oonagh, Clay, Ieuan and Walsh, Lorcan (2017) Physical Activity Monitoring in Patients with Neurological Disorders: A Review of the Validity and Reliability of Body Worn Monitors. Digital Biomarkers.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the validity and reliability of wearable physical activity monitoring in patients with neurological disorders.
Data Sources: A systematic search of the literature was performed using a specific search strategy in Pubmed and CINAHL. A search constraint of articles published in English, including human participants, published between January 2008 and March 2016 was applied.
Study Selection: Peer reviewed articles which enrolled adult participants with any neurological disorder, which compared any wearable sensor measuring physical activity to a criterion measure of physical activity was included.
Data Extraction: Study methodological quality was assessed using an adapted version of the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) framework. Data extracted from each study included; characteristics of study participants, study setting, devices used, study protocol/methods, endpoints outputted, and the validity/reliability of measurement produced.
Data Synthesis: Twenty-three studies examining the validity and reliability of 16 different monitors were included. The identified studies comprised participants with a range of different disorders of neurological origin. The available evidence suggests that bi-axial or tri-axial accelerometers devices, positioned around the ankle produce the most accurate step count measurements in patients with neurological disorders. The findings regarding the reliability and validity of activity counts and energy expenditure are largely inconclusive in this population.
Conclusions: Further work is required in this field before wearable activity monitoring can be more widely implemented clinically. Standardized activity monitoring protocols are required for implementing these devices in clinical trials and clinical practice, and consensus is required as to the reporting and interpretation of derived variables.

Item Type:	Article
Date Deposited:	30 Aug 2017 00:45
Last Modified:	30 Aug 2017 00:45
URI:	https://oak.novartis.com/id/eprint/31785