Darcy Ummels

Patients’ experiences with commercially available activity trackers embedded in physiotherapy treatment | 55 3 Most participants reported that the activity tracker should be discrete, easy to attach without assistance, and comfortable to wear. Sleeping with the activity tracker was uncomfortable for most participants. “I liked the Fitbit One better, the small thing, that is because I don’t like it if it [activity tracker] is visible” Female, 47 years, chronic pain Some expressed concern that the activity trackers were not waterproof, or could easily be lost. “ I thought it was a pity it [activity tracker] wasn ’ t waterproof. We still have to wash windows and do our dishes and stuff like that. ” Female, 60 years, chronic pain The battery of the activity tracker lasted longer than expected. Participants appreciated the average lifetime of 3 ‐ 4 weeks. They stated that there was a chance they would forget to recharge the activity tracker regularly. Correct functioning The experiences with the validity and reliability of the activity trackers varied. Small movements such as household activities were sometimes not measured. In some instances the activity tracker measured activities that were not actually performed by the participants. “It [activity tracker] registered cycling but I never cycle and yet it popped up, for example, 20 minutes or something like that and I figured maybe I had made some kind of movement which is registered as cycling?” Female, 30 years, chronic pain Participants noticed a lack of validity and reliability more often with activity trackers worn around the wrist. Sometimes, participants had technical problems such as trouble logging ‐ in or synchronizing with the activity tracker. “It could take up to a half hour before the activity tracker made a connection” Female, 47 years, chronic pain Sharing data and privacy Participants were positive about sharing data with their family or friends. This gave them a confirmation of their physical activity level and simultaneously challenged them to be more physically active.