A study has demonstrated the effectiveness of consumer wearables, such as Fitbits, in predicting postoperative complications like infections in children. This research involved 103 children who wore Fitbit devices for 21 days post-appendectomy. New metrics based on children's circadian rhythms were used to enhance algorithm training, allowing for a more sensitive detection of complications. The results indicate that utilizing such technology can lead to improved patient outcomes and offers significant potential for pediatric health monitoring across various medical environments.
Today, consumer wearables are ubiquitous, with many of us relying on them to count our steps, measure our sleep and more. Our study is the first to take this widely available technology and train the algorithm using new metrics that are more sensitive in detecting complications.
As part of the study, commercially available Fitbit devices were given to 103 children for 21 days immediately after appendectomy - the most common surgery in children, which results in complications up to 38 percent of the time.
They found such metrics were more effective in predicting postoperative complications, suggesting great promise for better patient outcomes and broad implications for pediatric health monitoring across various care settings.
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