Background: Increased mobility is a well-established predictor of health and recovery outcomes; however, decreased mobility continues to be a challenge in the hospital setting. Technology driven platforms promoting activity and mobility are increasingly being integrated into patient care models; however, evidence remains limited regarding patient engagement with such platforms and their ability to meaningfully increase mobility. Digital engagement tools, such as the Get Well Network (GWN), offer a novel way to motivate patients to engage in increased mobility while simultaneously collecting self-reported data on mobility behaviors.
Purpose: To describe patient interaction with a digital inpatient engagement platform, highlighting the successes and challenges among adult patients in the hospital setting.
Description: This descriptive analysis reviewed engagement data following the implementation of GWN program that provided television prompts twice a day to patients from two adult units (10E and 10W) at an academic medical center. The first prompt provides a reminder of the importance of mobility, and the second prompt inquires about patient completion of the recommended physical activity. Responses were aggregated to determine patient engagement rates and self-reported mobility levels.
Conclusions: Among eligible patients, 72% on unit 10E and 66% on unit 10W responded to at least one mobility prompt during their admission. Of those that participated, patients were divided into two categories according to their highest level of mobility (HLM) as calculated by the Johns Hopkins Mobility Goal Calculator, where higher scores indicate a higher level of mobility. In the HLM 2-5 group, 147 encounters described participation in a physical activity such as walking, sitting in a chair, or sitting on the edge of bed. In group HLM 6-8, 163 encounters had self-reported completion of movement goals including walking in hallway, walking in room, or sitting in chair. Overall, out of 479 total prompt encounters, 349 resulted in self-reported physical activity, indicating that this program has a strong potential to increase patient mobility in the hospital setting.In conclusion, nearly 70% of patients engaged with the digital engagement platform during our one-month pilot project. Although our results do not directly measure the effect on mobility, the high-level of engagement indicates that this program has a strong potential to increase patient mobility in the hospital setting.
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