Is a patient self‐recorded 6 minute walk test equivalent to a formally recorded 6 minute walk test

Abstract

BackgroundFunctional tests such as the 6‐minute walk test (6MWT) are used in many areas of medicine to monitor disease progression and outcomes of treatment. They are particularly helpful in Orthopaedic surgery as the outcomes have been shown to be responsive to recovery over time. The 6MWT is typically performed in a controlled supervised environment which may limit its widespread use (Terwee et al., Rheumatology (Oxford), 2006, 45, 890–902). The primary aim is to investigate if a patient measured 6MWT is comparable to a 6MWT performed under formal testing conditions (Täger et al., Int. J. Cardiol. 2014, 176, 94–98).MethodsA total of 55 patients undergoing elective primary hip or knee replacement were instructed to use a smart watch to record a 6MWT in their home community environment (C‐6MWT). These measurements were compared to a formally tested 6MWT (F‐6MWT) at 2 separate time periods—6 and 12 weeks post‐surgery.ResultsAt 6 weeks post operation the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient between a formally tested and a patient self‐administered 6MWT was 0.928 (95% CI 0.832–0.970) and at 12 weeks it was 0.831 (0594–0.935).ConclusionA patient recorded 6 minute walk test shows high agreement with a formally recorded one under research conditions. This makes this test a suitable way to monitor rehabilitation progression and research outcomes at multiple time periods and in remote situations.