James D. Rodgers III with Patricia Higgins (Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing) and Cyrus Taylor

Using the Actilume to Measure Light in an Intensive Care Unit: A Methodological Study

     The proposed project will measure the congruence between the Ambulatory Monitoring Inc. actilume and a calibrated light meter. The actilume is a light sensor, located in the Sleep Watch-L, a wrist monitor that individuals wear as an unobtrusive device for measuring activity and sleep using an accelerometer. Both the actilume and the accelerometer collect data over a 24 hour period. The data are then downloaded into a software program for statistical and graphical analysis. Simultaneous measurement of light data from both the actilume and the light meter will provide a means to determine the accuracy and validity of the actilume. The AMI actilume is currently being utilized in a study to determine how non-pulmonary factors affect patient weaning from ventilators in the intensive care unit (ICU) (Adult Failure to Thrive in the Long-term Ventilator Patient, NR-05005, Patricia A. Higgins, RN, PhD, PI). There are no known studies that have used the actilume in an ICU setting.   The project will be built around a theoretical understanding of construct validity, the physical nature of light, how light affects the human eye physiologically, and to what extent light can be manipulated to improve the environment in the ICU.