Fitbit trackers supporting medical research
Researchers are using Fitbit to measure patient recovery time
Northwestern University, the University of California San Francisco and New York University are conducting a study on minimally invasive spine surgery patients with Fitbit trackers to measure recovery time.
For the study, patients will wear the Fitbit tracker for four weeks prior to the surgery and six months after the surgery. They are hoping to gain insights on the following variables:
- Measure of activity
- How much function a patient regains
- When the patient will be back to pre-surgery activity levels
- If the patient surpasses pre-surgery activity levels
So far, the study has found that patients have decreased activity four to six weeks post-surgery before returning to their pre-surgery activity levels. They then slowly surpass their pre-surgery activities.