Bedrest during hospital admission is common and might be harmful. There is scarce published evidence that quantifies physical activity levels and expectations regarding physical activity of general medical patients during an acute inpatient stay. The current study aimed to investigate physical activity levels and expectations regarding physical activity in general medical patients at a large Australian teaching hospital. A convenience sample of 24 general medical patients was observed at 10-min intervals in one day between 8:00 and 17:00 and their physical activity status recorded. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding their expectations of physical activity during illness and hospital admission. Patients were observed to be in bed 51% of the time, were sitting out of bed 43% of the time, were standing 1% of the time and were walking 5% of the time. One third of participants (n = 8) were not observed to walk during the observation period. Questionnaire data indicated that nine (38%) participants expected to remain in bed while in hospital. General medical patients had low levels of physical activity during their hospital stay, which was consistent with many participants' expectations of appropriate activity when in hospital. If physical activity is an important part of acute general medical patient management, then patient expectations of the appropriateness of physical activity need to be addressed and methods to increase physical activity implemented.

Background. Measuring physical activity behaviours of stroke survivors in the inpatient setting is challenging. Authors of observational studies of early poststroke report that stroke survivors are “inactive and alone”. Using activity monitoring devices may help refine clinical practice and inform therapeutic activity targets. Aim. To measure the physical activity behaviour of stroke survivors during acute inpatient hospitalisation. We hypothesized that greater levels of inactivity would be positively associated with stroke severity and age. Method. Using a cross-sectional study design, consecutive stroke patients admitted to an acute stroke unit (Geelong, Australia) and recruited within 48 hours of admission had their physical activity recorded using an ActivPAL™ accelerometer device over a minimum of 3 days. Activity was categorised as time spent inactive (lying or sitting), standing, or stepping. The number of steps per day was recorded. Demographic and ActivPal™ data are described. Results. Seventy-eight stroke survivors were recruited of whom 54 had complete data for 3 days, all starting within 2 days poststroke. Of the 54 participants, 32 had a mild stroke, 17 moderate, and five severe stroke. Nine were able to walk independently at admission. The median age was 82.5 years (interquartile range (IQR) 74-86), 26 were female. On average, during their inpatient stay, participants spent a median of 98% of their admission inactive. A median of 18 minutes per day was spent standing and less than a minute per day was spent walking amounting to a median of 169 steps taken per day. Conclusion. The ActivePal™ device was feasible to use in an acute stroke setting. We observed high levels of inactivity in the first days post-stroke, highlighting the ongoing challenge of promoting activity in the acute stroke period. To our knowledge, this is the largest study to provide objective data on time spent upright, walking, and sedentary using accelerometer data in an acute stroke setting.

Following intracerebral haemorrhage, patients were less likely to be admitted to an acute stroke unit and receive allied health interventions. Admission to stroke units improved the likelihood of being independent at days 7-10 and, therefore, more should be done to encourage evidence-based care for intracerebral haemorrhage.