Monitoring postoperative ambulation and sleep after head and neck surgery: 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.