Wearable technology to track activity and distress in breast cancer patients: case series

: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women with a 5-year survival rate of up to 99% when detected early. This survival rate presents challenges to healthcare systems and providers in terms of ensuring patients receive adequate and timely support during the lengthy and often difficult journey of treatment and survivorship. The primary aim of this quality improvement project piloted the use of the Fitbit Alta HR fitness trackers in a large academic medical center in the south, where 19 breast cancer patients wore and synchronized a Fitbit Alta HR for 28 days. Participants were patients diagnosed with breast cancer (stages 0, I, II, III) who were actively receiving, or who had recently received, breast cancer treatment and care, and who had not previously used any type of health tracking device. The purpose was to understand how self-reported data could enhance patient-centered breast cancer care. Patients provided information on their physical activity and distress status, that enabled certified exercise physiologists to promote healthy lifestyle choices, identify potential treatment complications, and improve the patient’s overall quality of life. Although the sample size was small, a positive correlation between minutes asleep and number of awakenings (r=0.6852), and a negative correlation between distress levels and minutes fairly active (r=−0.3346), stood out as potential indications of the impact of distress on breast cancer patients. This project illuminated the potential value of understanding the ability to, and effectiveness of, capturing relevant patient reported outcomes as a valuable contribution to patient-centered healthcare delivery for patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Important findings suggest that building in the daily distress indicators to wearable devices may provide increased utility and expanded insight when such devices are used for patient reported monitoring and outcomes.