Acceptability and suitability of the use of TracmorD activity monitor in patients with COPD for home coaching – A pilot study

Background: The acceptability of the Philips research activity monitor (TracmorD) and usability to patients with COPD of wearing it while undertaking a daily routine are unknown. Aims and objectives: To study the acceptability and the usability of TracmorD in daily life of patients with COPD. Methods: 21 patients with COPD (17 males, 62 [57-69] years, BMI 24 [20-27] kg.m -2 , FEV 1 47 [29-64] %predicted) were submitted to assessments of physical activity levels. Patients had to simultaneously wear 3 TracmorDs (in the right-hand side pocket, around the neck and on the hip) and 1 Actigraph GT3x (ACT) on the hip (criterion method) over one week during waking hours. After the assessment week, patients answered a questionnaire about the usability of the TracmorD at their home setting. Results: All three TracmorD positions had very strong correlations among them (pocket vs hip r= 0.91; pocket vs neck r=0.90; hip vs neck r=0.96; p Conclusions: TracmorD was highly accepted by patients with COPD in their daily routine.TracmorD was highly correlated with ACT, suggesting that it can be used to monitor and coach COPD patients in their home environment.