Following it’s 2018 launch, the Activinsights Band has benefited a UK secondary care Integrated Rehabilitation Team (IRT), with research presented at the ISPAH 2018 London conference.

The new, professional, wrist-worn wearable provides instant lifestyle analytics with a 1-year battery life. In this case, the technology was evaluated for its adherence within an older population, generally 65+, most of whom rely on a walking aid for mobility and either have fallen or were at high risk of falls. It was used in conjunction with the IRT’s 8-week exercise and education programme, via OTAGO balance and safety exercises.

Participants wore the Activinsights Band for 8 weeks continuously to objectively monitor patient lifestyle behaviours (activity and sleep), in comparison to the traditional subjective diaries. Participants gained weekly personalised lifestyle reports, and at the mid-point (4 weeks), received an individual and group report showing their projected activity and sleep over the course duration to visualise whether participants were on track with achieving their rehabilitation goal of achieving 50 hours OTAGO exercises over the 8 weeks at home.

The wearable technology in the group was well adhered to and the participant experience was overwhelmingly positive. Patients increased their level of activity and maintained this throughout the Balance and Safety Group intervention. It raised participants awareness of their actual level of activity against their original prediction. Benefits of attendance has been shown with an increase in Tinetti scores in all those participants who had a score recorded, along with reduced incidence of falls.

The Activinsights Band provided a more comprehensive overview of the patient’s activity both during the day and night. It reflected the time exercising but also the activity versus sedentary time during the day and sleep patterns. It showed overall activity undertaken and lifestyle behaviour patterns. Frome Integrated Rehabilitation Team have changed their practice as a result of the objective wearables reports and acknowledges the impact of sleep and how these correlates to that person’s activity level. It could be used to help target appropriate participants for group or 1:1 session and used as part of the overall strategy to reduce falls.