Movement Is the Vital Sign We Aren't Measuring

By Daniel Salzberg, VP of Operations at BioMech Health, Richmond, Virginia. Part 1 of the six-part Movement as a Vital Sign series in Healthcare, Measured: why functional movement belongs next to blood pressure and heart rate, and what it would take to measure it. Full article: https://danielsalzberg.com/articles/movement-the-missing-vital-sign/

Transcript

1. Healthcare, Measured · Movement as a Vital Sign, Part 1 of 6 Movement Is the Vital Sign We Aren't Measuring Daniel Salzberg · Healthcare technology and operations · Richmond, Virginia
2. Every visit starts with the same few numbers Blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, breathing rate, oxygen, often a pain score. They're quick, recorded the same way everywhere, and they can be trended. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
3. What's missing is how the patient moves Can they stand up from a chair without their arms? How fast do they walk? How steady are they when they turn? We mostly capture it by eye, in a line of free text, or not at all. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
4. This isn't a new idea 2009: Fritz and Lusardi, “Walking Speed: the Sixth Vital Sign,” Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. 2011: JAMA pooled nine cohort studies, 34,000+ older adults. Gait speed was associated with survival. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
5. If it isn't structured, it doesn't exist downstream You can't trend it, nothing can alert on it, it won't show up in a population report, and no model can learn from it. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
6. One reading misses the story The changes that matter, like a slow decline before a fall or a recovery that stalls, happen between visits. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
7. AI can't use what it can't see Objective, repeatable movement data would give prediction tools a new signal. A noisy measure makes predictions worse and more confident at the same time. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
8. What it would take Standardized tests. Objective capture. Structured data in the record. Measurement at home as well as in the clinic. Daniel Salzberg · danielsalzberg.com
9. Read the full article danielsalzberg.com/articles/movement-the-missing-vital-sign/ Daniel Salzberg, VP of Operations at BioMech Health, Richmond, Virginia Disclosure: I'm VP of Operations at BioMech Health, which works in objective movement measurement. This series reflects my own views and isn't about any specific product.