Pre-Operative Exercise Challenge in Geriatric Thoracic Patients

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying thoracic surgery patients aged 65 and older to collect data on the number of steps they walk each day before surgery. The goal is to see if patients can wear a wrist step-tracker and keep a daily step log for one week, which will help in future studies where step-goals may be set to measure pre-surgery activity accurately. This study is a feasibility study to assess the willingness of patients to track their steps using technology. Participants will be given a Fitbit Inspire device to wear on their wrist for one week prior to their scheduled surgery. They will be instructed on how to use the device and asked to keep a daily log of their steps. During this week, the study team will call participants once to check on their progress. After the week, participants will return the Fitbit and their step log at a pre-surgery clinic visit or on the day of surgery, whichever comes first. During the study, baseline information will be collected from participants' electronic medical records. Researchers will measure outcomes such as the rate of step tracking, diary completion, return of the device and log, and data retrieval over the one-week period. The total participation time involves one week of wearing the tracker before surgery, with follow-up during the week and device return at or before surgery. About 30 people are expected to participate in this research conducted by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Geriatric Thoracic Surgery Ambulation Challenge