Many patients are physically inactive while hospitalized, despite their ability to walk independently. Such inactivity is believed to lead to increased mortality, functional decline, and disability. By contrast, more physical activity during hospitalization has been linked to shorter lengths of stay and fewer readmissions. Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between using wearable activity trackers and patient physical activity and sedentary behavior during hospitalization compared with usual care, as well as trackers' association with clinical and hospital efficiency outcomes.

They searched for randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials in which wearable activity trackers were used to increase physical activity or reduce sedentary behavior in adults hospitalized with medical illnesses or undergoing rehabilitation or surgery. Fifteen studies including a total of 1,911 patients were included in the analysis.

Wearable activity tracker interventions were significantly associated with moderately higher overall physical activity and less sedentary behavior. There was also a small but significant association between wearable activity tracker interventions and improvements in physical function. Wearable activity tracker interventions weren't, however, significantly associated with pain or mental health outcomes, or with measures of hospital efficiency, such as length of stay or risk of readmission.

The authors caution that the results of their study are limited by the small number of studies identified, most of which involved small samples. In particular, limited data were available for clinical outcomes and readmission.