Darcy Ummels

Using an activity tracker in daily clinical practice | 125 6 Characteristics of the activity tracker Throughout all iterations, therapists explained to their patients which variables the activity trackers measured, how to wear the activity tracker correctly, and the ease of use of the activity tracker. ”The only thing the activity tracker does is measure your steps and active minutes. You can charge the activity tracker at home; you just need an outlet. It is super simple.” ‐ Explanation from therapist 2 to patient 11 during a therapy session (audiotaped conversation). Correct functioning Therapists explained to the patients that the MISS Activity is more valid and reliable than other activity trackers patients know. They did not change this explanation throughout the iterations. ”This [activity tracker] is much more reliable, it measures your steps from the couch to the kitchen, for example. Other apps and activity trackers don’t measure that accurately.” ‐ Explanation from therapist 2 to patient 11 during a therapy session (audiotaped conversation). Goal of the activity tracker and use of the activity tracker In the first iteration, the activity tracker was only used as an assessment tool for two weeks. This was changed during the second reflection session to at least three weeks. During the first and second iteration, the standard physical activity goal of the activity tracker (5000 steps and 30 active minutes) was mostly used during the assessment period, according to the instructions in the draft manual. From the third iteration on, therapists decided to set the goal of the activity tracker during the assessment period to zero steps and zero active minutes. During the last reflection session, the therapists added that having an objective measurement of the physical activity level, along with the subjective experiences of the patient and themselves, can support them with diagnosing the coping mechanism of a patient. “Our goal when using the MISS Activity is to gain insight into your physical activity behavior during these weeks.” ‐ Explanation from therapist 2 to patient 9 during a therapy session (audiotaped conversation) . Therapists added exclusion criteria during the second reflection session for the start of using the activity tracker because based on their clinical experiences and expertise, they considered an activity tracker not to be suitable for patients with the following characteristics: perfectionism, depression, trauma, severe physical impairment, and