Overview
- The Ohio State–led analysis, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, tied each extra 1,000 postoperative steps to 18% fewer complications, 16% lower readmission odds, and 6% shorter hospital stays.
- Researchers drew on the NIH All of Us program, linking electronic health records with wearable device data for 1,965 adult inpatients who underwent surgery.
- Step count was a stronger predictor of recovery than heart rate variability and self-reported wellness scores measured after surgery.
- The association between higher steps and better outcomes held across different surgery types and across patients with varied baseline health.
- Authors propose using step monitoring to time discharge and target extra support after hospitalization, while noting the study is observational and does not prove causation.