Patients participating in rehabilitation exercise group

Assessing Feasibility, Efficacy, and Acceptability of Visual Feedback during Heart Rate Monitoring in Rehabilitation

Posted By Sydney Achler

Summary:

Body

During rehabilitation, many patients and clinicians focus on improving aerobic endurance by gradually increasing exercise intensity for longer amounts of time. By measuring heart rate, we can establish individualized zones of exercise intensity.

This study uses commercially available heart rate monitors and a commercially available software platform to give participants real-time feedback of what zone they’re in during their rehabilitation sessions.

We aim to complete this project across multiple settings: inpatient rehabilitation on the strength + endurance floor and in the DayRehab setting. Our aim in the first phase is to examine how visual heart rate feedback versus no visual heart rate feedback may impact patient and/or clinician behavior, perceptions, and opinions. In later phases, we aim to see if the use of visual feedback of heart rate can help increase the amount of time patients spend in their individualized heart rate zones.

We are also interested in looking at how the Recumbent Seated Step Test, a submaximal exercise test completed on the NuStep, may be helpful to estimate changes in establishing these heart rate zones and track aerobic capacity, and/or establish heart rate zones during rehabilitation.

We will be recruiting people for this study who:

  • Are undergoing rehabilitation at the site/floor of care
  • Are between the ages of 18-90 years old
  • Do not have LVADs, unstable cardiac arrhythmias, or are pregnant
  • Have physician clearance for participation

This study occurs in conjunction with a patient’s typically scheduled therapies. Participants may be provided with compensation depending on the phase of the study.

If you are interested in participating in this study, contact Kristen Hohl at (312) 238-1378 or khohl@sralab.org.

Let's get connected.

Request an appointment