Exploring the Translational Impact of a Home Telemonitoring Intervention Using Time-Motion Study.

Time–motion methodology was used to measure the time spent on activities by monitoring subjects in two groups of a home spirometry telemonitoring randomized controlled trial: the manual nurse review (control) group and the automated review (intervention) group. Data were collected via direct observation of two research nurses by a single observer using the repetitive or snap-back timing method. All observed tasks were coded using a list of work activities defined and validated in an earlier study. Reliability data were collected during a 2-h session with a secondary observer. During 35 h of data collection, a sample of 938 task observations were recorded and coded using 46 previously defined and 5 newly defined work activities. Between-group comparisons of activity time for subjects in the two study groups showed significantly more time spent on data review activities for the automated review group. Reclassification of the 51 observed activities identified 15 activities that would translate to a clinical setting, of which 5 represent potentially new activities. Time–motion study of research personnel working with new clinical interventions provides a template for evaluating the workflow impact of these interventions prior to translation from a research to a clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]