Abstract
Abstract Introduction Physical inactivity is prevalent among hospitalised older people and is associated with poor outcomes. This study aims to determine activity levels in a Malaysian university hospital. Method Direct observation of patients admitted to the geriatric medicine ward over 2 weeks between the hours of 8 am-8 pm was performed. Data was collated onto an observation diary which was piloted, and changes made iteratively. A taxonomy of inpatient activity and healthcare staff interaction was created. Observer training was done to ensure familiarity and consistency in the recording. Data was presented descriptively and comparison made between weekday/weekend. Minutes of activity time per-hour (mins/hr) was use to report findings. Results Ninety-one patients were observed over 1918.8 hours (weekday, 1579.67 hours; weekends, 363.87 hours). The observed median (Q1,Q3) was 15.1 (9.4, 30.1) hours per-patient. 32.6 minutes per day on average was spent upright, with the rest spent either sitting or lying down. 78.9% of patients’ time was spent doing nothing. Patients’ position was different between weekdays vs weekends, lying, 35.7 vs 40.8 mins/hr; sitting, 23.3 vs 18.2 mins/hr; and standing, 1.1 vs 1.0 mins/hr. Patients spent significantly less proportion of time active at the weekends (weekdays, 28.3% vs weekends, 19.9%). When individual activities were analysed, patients were doing less walking (weekend, 0.4 vs weekday, 0.01 mins/hr, p = 0.01) therapy-supervised exercise (1.1 vs 0.02 mins/hr, p < 0.01), and nursing care (0.6 vs 0.1 mins/hr, p < 0.01) over the weekend. There was also less doctor interaction (weekday, 1.1 vs 0.5 mins/hr, p = 0.04) and no therapist interaction at the weekend. Nursing input was unchanged. Conclusion Older people admitted to a university hospital in Malaysia were very inactive. There was further reduction in activity levels and healthcare interaction at the weekend. Maintaining physical activity during hospitalisation is required to ensure best possible recovery from their acute illness.
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