Design and validation of a multi-task, multi-context protocol for real-world gait simulation.
Kirsty Scott, Tecla Bonci, Francesca Salis and 41 others
PMID 36522646WHAT IT FOUND
A short lab protocol with varied tasks captures a wider range of walking speeds than straight walking alone.
Adding complex tasks like turning and stepping over obstacles slowed people down more than simply asking them to walk slowly. The protocol was safe for people with mobility impairments.
Key findings
01Complex tasks such as the Hallway test and Simulated Daily Activities were more effective at inducing slower walking speeds than simply asking participants to walk slowly.
02The protocol was safe and feasible, with no adverse events recorded even among patients with severe mobility impairments.
032.5 hours of unsupervised monitoring in a habitual environment captured enough walking bouts to meet statistical thresholds for validating gait devices across different cohorts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study groups were unbalanced in size, which prevented detailed comparisons between different conditions. The lab walkway was limited to 5 meters, which meant some faster walkers could not complete enough strides to record valid data in straight walking tests. The 2.5-hour observation was sufficient for validating the device but may not capture true long-term mobility performance, which likely requires longer monitoring periods. Participants who failed to complete tasks were generally more severely affected, which may bias the data toward those with milder impairments.
Declared interests
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and EFPIA via the Innovative Medicine Initiative 2 (Mobilise-D project).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that 2.5 hours of monitoring is enough to assess a patient’s overall daily mobility performance. It was sufficient to validate the sensors for gait speed, but assessing true performance likely requires longer observation periods.